Positive rabies case in Columbus

Columbus East Central District Health Department has been notified of a positive laboratory result confirming rabies from a domestic dog in Columbus, NE.

The rabies infection resulted in human exposure.

This is an ongoing investigation.

ECDHD recommends that residents keep their pets up to date on their rabies vaccination to prevent them from acquiring the disease from wildlife, and thereby prevent possible transmission to their family or other people.

Postexposure treatment for humans consists of a dose of human rabies immune globulin (HRIG) and rabies vaccine given on the day of the rabies exposure, and then a dose of vaccine given again on days 3, 7, and 14.

For people who have never been vaccinated against rabies previously, postexposure treatment should always include the administration of both HRIG and rabies vaccines. The combination of HRIG and vaccine is recommended for both bite and non-bite exposures, regardless of the interval between exposure and initiation of treatment.

For more information about rabies, please visit https://www.cdc.gov/rabies/index.html.