Number of people bitten by rabid skunk in downtown Vancouver: officials

A “small number” of people in the downtown Vancouver area have received treatment after being bitten by a skunk that tested positive for rabies, officials say.

Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) said in a Wednesday advisory that the skunk was captured, and interactions with the animals are usually rare.

However, anyone who had contact with a “sick or abnormally behaving” skunk between Sept. 22 and Oct. 17 is being asked to seek treatment.

The area covered by the advisory includes Stanley Park and a chunk of downtown Vancouver and the West End, bordered by Georgia and Burrard streets.

Officials say the rabies virus is found in the saliva of infected animals and is usually transmitted through a bite, though it is less commonly transmitted through scratches.

Anyone who had contact with a sick skunk in the highlighted area of downtown Vancouver, which includes Stanley Park, is asked to seek treatment. (Vancouver Coastal Health)

West End resident Guerric Haché told CBC News that he caught the skunk in question last Saturday, when he was on his way to the West End Farmers’ Market, at the corner of Comox and Bute streets.

He said a number of people were looking into the bushes nearby, and that’s when he saw the animal, which looked lethargic and confused.

“I just started talking to the skunk because I’m an animal person. I like to do that,” Haché said.

“I was saying, ‘Hi, buddy, how you doing?’ And the skunk looked up at me, and turned toward me, and it walked on to the sidewalk and it bit my leg and then it bit my shoe.”

Haché captured the skunk and called an animal rescue charity, which subsequently sent the animal for tests, confirming it had rabies. (Submitted by Guerric Haché)

Haché said he called his partner, who helped him capture the skunk, and he sought medical care after calling an animal rescue charity to take the animal away.

Later, the West End resident says he was told the skunk had to be killed due to a broken jaw — and after it was tested, he got a call from VCH confirming it had rabies.

“There’s only been three reported cases of rabies in skunks [in B.C.] since 2011, including this one. So it’s extremely rare in B.C.,” Haché said.

“So I thought there was a very small chance of it having rabies, and I knew that even if it did, it’s extremely preventable. So I wasn’t scared.”

Haché said several people stopped by as he waited for animal rescue workers to arrive, describing how they had heard there was an aggressive skunk in the neighbourhood.

He said it was concerning that a skunk with rabies could have been around, but it demonstrated the importance of letting public health authorities know if an animal is behaving aggressively or looking confused, because it could mean the animal is ill.

“Rabies virus is not transmitted through exposure to the spray, urine or feces of infected skunks,” the VCH advisory reads.

VCH says rabies is a serious infection that can affect the brain and nervous system, and they are extremely rare in Canada.

“Infections are fatal but can be prevented when rabies vaccines and/or rabies immunoglobulin are administered promptly after an exposure,” the advisory reads.

A skunk is seen in a stock image. Vancouver Coastal Health says a small number of people have received treatment after being bitten by a rabid skunk in the downtown area. (Fiona M. Donnelly/Shutterstock)

It adds that bats are the only known “reservoirs” of rabies in B.C., which means they spread it to another animals, and occasionally other animals like skunks in specific areas get the disease.

“If you are bitten or scratched by a bat, skunk or any wild animal, wash the wound with soap and warm water for at least 15 minutes and seek medical care immediately,” the VCH advisory reads.

Any downtown Vancouver pet owners whose animal had direct contact with a skunk during the four weeks identified by authorities should contact their vet immediately, according to VCH.