LEON COUNTY, Fla. (WTXL) - A health alert is going around involving several recent rabies cases in the Sunshine State.
Escambia County, near Pensacola, confirmed a case involving a rabid raccoon last week.
There are recent no cases in Leon County or the surrounding area, but other cases have been reported in Central Florida.
Strict rules about vaccines have limited the death rate in the United States to fewer than 10 people a year. But recent data indicates that the number of cases in the wild is on the rise.
The Leon County Health Department urges pet owners to be cautious.
"We always think about folks too who have bird feeders or animal feeders to be extra careful because that food is drawing those animals into your yard and you want to stay away from them and be extra careful that you stay away from those animals," said Christopher Tittel, Public Information Officer for FL Dept. of Health in Leon County.
Tittel said raccoons, bats, foxes and unvaccinated cats are the animals in Florida that are most frequently diagnosed with rabies.
