The Direction de la Santé Publique de la Montérégie has issued an appeal for caution, after a dead raccoon infected with the rabies virus was found in the Montérégie region on January 24.
The raccoon was discovered in Venise-en-Québec. This is the first case reported in the Montérégie since 2015. An additional four cases of raccoon rabies have been detected in the Eastern Townships this year, as well as several cases reported in Vermont and New York State.
Public health authorities are urging people who live in the Montérégie region, and especially those near Venise-en-Québec and nearby municipalities, to be extra careful and vigilant around wildlife.
Rabies is a contagious and fatal brain disease that can be transmitted from an infected animal to humans. An animal can be a carrier of the disease and develop symptoms several days or weeks after being infected.
The Quebec government has identified a heightened surveillance zone as the territory most at risk for the introduction of raccoon rabies. The zone stretches the entire length of the border through the Estrie and Montérégie regions, including the Chateauguay Valley. Residents are being asked to report any suspicious animals.
Seven cases have been reported in Quebec since the start of the year. Only three cases were confirmed in all of 2024. All the cases identified in the Estrie and Montérégie were found in raccoons. There were 57 animals that tested positive in Vermont last year, where cases of the deadly disease have been on the rise, jumping 50 per cent in the last year according to Vermont health officials.
The threat of rabies spreading to raccoons in Quebec is considered high. Control operations spread vaccine bait in the surveillance zone on multiple occasions last year between April and October. Operations adapted to the evolving situation will be carried out again in 2025.
To avoid the risk of disease transmission, it is important to never touch a wild animal carcass with bare hands. Never approach an unknown animal, even if it looks harmless and healthy. Do not attract wild animals by leaving garbage cans unattended or feeding pets outdoors. It is also important to vaccinate pets that go outside against rabies and to carry out checks after any altercation between a pet and a wild animal.
The situation is being closely monitored by the Quebec government as part of the Raccoon Rabies Control Plan. Public health authorities say the chances of finding an animal with rabies are greatest among the animals reported by citizens. The public can report any suspicious animals by calling 1-877-346-6763, or by completing an online form available through the Ministère de l’Environnement, de la Lutte aux Changements Climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs at mffp.gouv.qc.ca/the-wildlife/troublesome-sick-animals/report-suspicious-wild-animal/?lang=en.