Multiple people treated after rabies found in skunk in B.C.'s Kootenay Lake region

Interior Health says several people have been treated after exposure to a skunk that tested positive for rabies in the Kootenay Lake region of British Columbia. The health authority said the animal may have been infectious between Aug. 15 and Sept. 4 and is urging anyone else who may have been scratched or bitten to seek emergency medical care right away. It also advised people to have any animals that may have come into contact with the skunk checked by a veterinarian. Interior Health noted that rabies is rarely seen in people in B.C. and Canada, but infections are usually fatal if untreated. The disease can be prevented when vaccines are given promptly after exposure. The authority said rabies is spread through bites and scratches, not through contact with spray, urine, or feces.