Health officials in Perth County say a cow on a dairy farm in Elma Ward has tested positive for rabies.
The Perth District Health Unit made the announcement on Thursday.
“The cow was most likely in contact with a rabid wild animal, such as a skunk or fox,” says Dale Lyttle, senior public health inspector with the health unit. “This positive result continues to remind us that rabies is still present in Perth County.”
This is the third time since 2015 that an animal in Perth County has tested positive for rabies. This past April, a skunk tested positive, while another cow was infected in December of 2015.
While there are no published studies that have demonstrated that rabies can be passed into cow's milk, the Dairy Farmers of Ontario is working with the producer to manage milk from the farm and to protect the public from any health risks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says, theoretically, transmission of the rabies virus could be possible through unpasteurized milk.
“This is an important reminder that people should only drink milk that has been pasteurized,” says Lyttle.
Provincial Agriculture officials are also working with the farm owner and a veterinarian to implement a Precautionary Confinement Period for the other cows that were in the group with the infected animal.
