Rabies confirmed in downtown Vancouver skunk

Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) has issued a public health notice after a skunk captured in downtown Vancouver tested positive for rabies. A small number of individuals bitten by the animal have already been assessed and received rabies vaccinations and immunoglobulin to prevent infection.

The health authority has advised anyone who may have been bitten, scratched, or had direct contact with a sick or abnormally behaving skunk in the downtown West End and Stanley Park areas between September 22 and October 17 to contact VCH immediately for assessment.

While rabies is a fatal viral infection that affects the brain and nervous system, it can be prevented through prompt medical intervention. VCH noted that while bats are the primary rabies reservoir in British Columbia, occasional spillovers to other species, such as skunks, have occurred. The public is urged not to approach, feed, or handle sick or dead wild animals.