White County is reporting its first positive case of rabies for the year.
The county’s Environmental Health Manager, Sean Sullivan, says a homeowner was walking their dog on the evening of September 1 when they were attacked, unprovoked by a coyote.
They got the dog to safety, but the homeowner had already been bitten on the leg. According to Sullivan, the homeowner put the coyote down and reported the incident to the Department of Natural Resources, who then contacted White County health officials.
Sullivan says tests on the coyote came back positive for rabies on September 4. As a result, the county will post positive alert signs in the area where the rabid coyote was found on Partin Road, south of Cleveland.
Anyone with questions about potential exposure should contact the White County Environmental Health Office at 706-348-7698 during normal business hours.
This is the first positive rabies case in White County in over two and a half years. Prior to this, the last case was reported in January 2022.
