Nine people in Honea, S.C., were referred to their health care providers after being exposed to a rabid goat, according to the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control.
The goat went through testing and was confirmed for rabies on March 8.
DHEC officials were unsure on how exactly the nine individuals were exposed. According to their news release, it could have happened while the victims were handling the goat. Director of DHEC’s WasteWater, Rabies Prevention and Enforcement Division, David Vaughan, said rabies is transmitted through saliva or neutral tissue contact with open wounds.
Livestock owners in South Carolina are not required to vaccinate their animals. But, DHEC suggests that people vaccinate horses, expensive livestock and animals that produce dairy.
WBTW spoke with one livestock owner to see what her thoughts were on the situation.
“I’ve never even heard of a goat having rabies before. I know any animal can have them, but I’ve never known that. I just hate it for them because it’s lots of treatments and lots of stuff you have to go through. I would just be wary of all my animals, and I’d try to have at least a vaccination for rabies,” said Yvonne Waugh from Hard Times Stables.
When people are exposed to rabies, symptoms don’t always show up right away said Dr.Charles Edwards from the Medical University of South Carolina Health Florence Medical Center.
“There is a latency period. Once you’ve been exposed, it can take several weeks for you to show any symptoms, even months. Some of the general symptoms can be muscle aches, fevers and weakness. Those are very common and nondescript and can happen in a number of diseases,” Edwards said.
DHEC asks that individuals wash any body part that may have come in contact with saliva or neural tissue with soap and water. But, individuals must also seek medical attention.
“If there is a very high-risk exposure, for a high-risk patient, we inject medication around the exposure in order to help prevent the virus from taking hold,” Edwards said.
Last year, there were 100 total rabies cases reported in South Carolina. There have been 25 cases since this year started.
Individuals who may have been exposed are asked to contact DHEC immediately at one of their regional offices.
