World Rabies Day Is September 28, 2019

Vaccinate to Eliminate Rabies 

SHELBY COUNTY, TN – On September 28, 2019, the Shelby County Health Department and public health agencies around the world will observe World Rabies Day: an international day of awareness to prevent rabies. The Shelby County Rabies Control Program will host a World Rabies Day exhibit with information and giveaways at the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library on Saturday, September 28, 2018:

What: World Rabies Day Exhibit
Where: Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library, 3030 Poplar Avenue
When: Saturday, September 28, 2019, 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

While rabies infection in humans is rare in the United States, the rabies virus kills about 60,000 people annually around the world. The infection is almost always fatal without prompt treatment. And 99 percent of all human rabies cases are due to bites from rabid dogs.

Rabies rarely occurs in domestic animals in Shelby County—there were no reported cases among animals in 2018, or so far in 2019. That is thanks in no small part to the efforts of the Shelby County Health Department’s Rabies Control Program to enforce state and county ordinances that require annual rabies vaccinations for pets.

Owners of dogs residing in Memphis and Shelby County are required to have their dog licensed yearly, and must show proof of rabies vaccination at the time the license is issued. Cats are also required to be vaccinated, but are not required to be licensed, except in Collierville and Germantown. Failure to license and vaccinate your dog or cat could result in a citation to appear in General Sessions Court, and a fine.

The Shelby County Rabies Control Program encourages pet owners to vaccinate their pets by holding low-cost rabies vaccination clinics each spring in two centrally-located sites in Shelby County. Rabies vaccinations and license tags are also available year-round from local veterinarians throughout Shelby County. Make sure your pet is vaccinated each year to protect your pet, your family, and your friends and neighbors against the rabies virus.

For more information about the Shelby County Rabies Control Program, please visit our website: http://www.shelbytnhealth.com.