PUEBLO – The Pueblo Department of Health has confirmed a skunk from the greenbelt area near Briarwood Park on the city’s south side tested positive for rabies. There are reports that an individual and pet from the neighborhood may have had contact with that animal.
“The Health Department is looking for people or pets who were in or near Briarwood Park the morning of Monday, March 25, 2019 and may have had contact with a skunk,” said Beth Penrod, a communicable disease specialist at the Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment.
Penrod also said it’s important for any pets who may have had contact with a skunk at the park to be checked by a veterinarian as soon as possible.
Rabies is a virus transmitted by the bite of an infected animal or when the infected animal’s saliva gets into a cut or break in the skin. It is deadly to both humans and animals once symptoms begin, so it’s important to seek medical or veterinary care immediately after a person or animal is in contact with wildlife. It’s also important for pets to receive the rabies vaccination annually.
If you think you might have had contact with the rabid skunk contact the Health Department at (719)583-4998.
Earlier in 2019 a skunk tested positive for rabies near City Park.
