FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
August 11, 2021

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) confirmed that:

• a cat found near the intersection of Grove Road, Arthur Avevue, and Cateechee Avenue in Greenville, S.C., has tested positive for rabies. Five people have been referred to their healthcare providers after potential exposure to the virus by the cat 
• a second cat found near the intersection of US Highway-76 and Lipscomb Road in Mullins, S.C., also tested positive for rabies. Two people were exposed and have been referred to their healthcare providers.  

Both cats were submitted to DHEC's laboratory for testing on August 9, 2021, and were confirmed to have rabies on August 10, 2021.

“Keeping your pets up to date on their rabies vaccination is the easiest way to protect you and your family from this deadly virus,” said Terri McCollister, Rabies Program Team Leader. “Any mammal has the ability to carry and transmit the disease to people or pets. So, give wild and stray animals plenty of space. In South Carolina, rabies is most often found in wildlife such as raccoons, skunks, foxes, and bats; but pets are just as susceptible to the virus. If you see an animal in need, avoid touching it. Contact someone trained in handling animals, such as your local animal control officer, wildlife control operator, or a wildlife rehabilitator. If you believe that you or someone you know has had contact with or been potentially exposed to this or another suspect animal, please reach out to your local Environmental Affairs office. An exposure is defined as direct contact (such as through broken skin or mucous membranes in the eyes, nose, or mouth) with saliva or brain/nervous system tissue from an infected animal." 

If your pet is found with wounds of unknown origin, please consider that your pet may have been exposed to rabies. If you believe that you, family members, or pets have come into contact with either of these cats or another animal that potentially has rabies, please call DHEC's Environmental Affairs Greenville office at (864) 372-3273 or Florence office at (843) 661-4825 during normal business hours (8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m., Monday-Friday) or after hours and on holidays at (888) 847-0902 (Select Option 2).
 
The Greenville cat is the second  animal in Greenville County to test positive for rabies in 2021, and the Mullins cat is the first animal to test positive for rabies from Marion County this year. There have been 52 cases of rabid animals statewide in 2021. Since 2002, South Carolina has averaged approximately 148 positive cases a year. In 2020, there were 168 confirmed rabies cases in South Carolina, five of those cases were in Greenville County and two of those cases were in Marion County. 

Contact information for local Environmental Affairs offices is available at www.scdhec.gov/EAoffices. For more information on rabies visit www.scdhec.gov/rabies or www.cdc.gov/rabies.