Racoon Rabies Testing Concludes

(August 19, 2024)

A months-long, multi-agency effort response to the discovery of a stray kitten in central Omaha with a form of raccoon rabies has ended with no additional confirmed cases.

This strain of rabies had not previously been found within 800 miles of Nebraska. It posed a tremendous risk to people, pets, and other wildlife.

The response, led by the Douglas County Health Department, included significant support from the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Nebraska Humane Society.

Given the area's high raccoon population and the possibility of frequent interactions between humans, their pets, and those raccoons, the situation demanded a swift and thorough response. The effort involved a trap, vaccinate, and release program targeting local wildlife, including raccoons, along with a mass vaccination campaign and testing roadkill animals to ensure that this strain of raccoon rabies did not establish itself in the Midwest.

"This was a tremendous example of what public health can do," said Justin Frederick, deputy health director and chief of infectious disease epidemiology of the Douglas County Health Department. "If this raccoon strain had become established, the costs of containment and treatment could have run into the tens of millions of dollars."

Animal testing concluded on July 24, with 515 wildlife and feral cats testing negative for rabies. An additional 12 wildlife samples are pending enhanced testing at the CDC due to their unsuitable quality for testing in local labs.

Since October 1, 2023, routine rabies surveillance in Douglas, Sarpy, and Cass counties has screened additional wildlife and feral cats, resulting in 36 wildlife testing negative, one raccoon deemed unsuitable for DFA testing, and 70 cats testing negative. Residual USDA funding for enhanced rabies surveillance is being utilized to test strange-acting
high-risk wildlife not involved in human exposures until funding runs out. That is expected to be available at least through the end of 2024.

"The initial response was unprecedented," Frederick said. "I would like to thank the amazing agencies that partnered with us and assure the public that we will remain vigilant."

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