BURNET — A dramatic rise in rabies cases the last six months in Burnet County continues to alarm local agriculture experts and veterinarians.
"When it comes to rabies, we should all be on our toes," County AgriLife Extension Agent Wade Hibler said earlier this week. "It is a serious disease that is very prevalent in our area."
Rabies comes from a harmful virus that attacks an animal's central nervous system and eventually disrupts its brain and causes death, according to veterinarian Dr. Elizabeth DeFily.
"If people have pets, they need to vaccinate them to reduce the chance of exposure to rabies," DeFily said. "Horses can get rabies, and they need to be vaccinated, too."
The Texas Department of State Health Services reports 40 animals in Burnet County have tested positive for the illness through the first six months of this year.
That number far exceeds the average of 18 animals testing positive for rabies during 60 months from 2006 to 2010, according to statistics compiled by the state health service.
"The data is based only on the results of animals submitted for rabies testing by local veterinarians," Hibler said. "There are many more animals that die of rabies, but they are never tested for the disease."
