WALHALLA — An Oconee County man is undergoing a series of preventive inoculations after an encounter outside Walhalla with a raccoon that tested positive for rabies.

Sue Ferguson of the Department of Health and Environmental Control said the man was scratched on the wrist by the raccoon while attempting to separate his dogs from the animal. Officials did not identify the man.

Ferguson said anyone bitten, scratched or otherwise exposed to the saliva of a rabid animal must undergo immediate measures to stop the virus from reaching the brain. Failure to do so is fatal to humans and animals.

DHEC spokesman Adam Myrick said the incident is the sixth confirmed case of a rabid animal in Oconee County this year.

“There have been five raccoons and one fox that have tested positive,” Myrick said.

Last year there were no reported cases of rabid animals, Myrick added.

Officials urge residents to vaccinate their pets as the best protection from contracting rabies.

“It offers a buffer between domesticated and wild animals so that the pet owner is not exposed,” Myrick said.

Ferguson said about 400 residents statewide undergo preventive treatment for rabies each year. Most exposures come from bites or scratches.

“We cannot stress enough the importance of resisting the urge to feed or adopt wildlife,” Ferguson said. “It is best to avoid contact with wild animals because one cannot tell if an animal has rabies by looking at it.”

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