Thanks to efforts to control raccoon rabies, no cases have been identified in Québec since 2015. The collaboration of the public remains essential to keep Québec free of raccoon rabies. Indeed, since March 2022, several cases have been detected in raccoons and skunks in the Burlington, Vermont area in the United States. As a result, the risk of raccoon rabies returning to Québec is on the rise in 2023.
Due to their proximity to the Burlington area, people in the following 18 municipalities must be vigilant in 2023: Bedford, Clarenceville, Dunham, Frelighsburg, Henryville, Lacolle, Notre-Dame-de-Stanbridge, Noyan, Pike River, Saint-Armand, Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle, Saint-Ignace-de-Stanbridge, Saint-Paul-de-l'Île-aux-Noix, Saint-Sébastien, Saint-Valentin, Stanbridge East, Stanbridge Station and Venise-en-Québec. People who live in or frequent these areas are urged to exercise extreme caution around animals that could be carriers of rabies and report any suspicious wild animals.
Report cases
Citizens living in these areas can contribute significantly to the fight against raccoon rabies. Reports of wildlife infected with rabies are the best way to detect their presence in an area. Reporting animals that exhibit signs of rabies is in fact the best way to detect this disease when it is present in a given area.
You can report the presence of raccoons, skunks and foxes that are already dead or that appear disoriented, injured, abnormally aggressive or paralyzed by calling 1-877-346-6763 (Monday to Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) or by filling out the online form 
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Safe behaviours to avoid being infected with rabies
Rabies is one of the most serious diseases that can be transmitted to humans. It is fatal as soon as a person shows general symptoms. To avoid becoming infected with rabies, apply the following preventative measures at all times:
- Avoid any contact with wildlife. This includes carcasses that may still contain the virus;
- If you have been bitten, scratched or in contact with the saliva of a wild animal, always wash the wound thoroughly with water and soap for 10 to 15 minutes. Next, contact Info-Santé 811;
- Vaccinate your pets, especially those going outdoors. The rabies vaccine is highly effective if the animal receives its booster doses on the dates prescribed by the veterinarian;
- Consult a veterinarian if your animal has been in contact with an animal suspected to have rabies;
- Be aware of deterrents yo keep nuisance wildlife away from your home.
Aside from raccoon rabies, other rabies variants are found in bats, and in foxes in northern Québec. Therefore, caution must be exercised at all times and with all mammal species. For more information, go to the Rabies in animals page.
