NORTH BETHESDA, MD — A gray domestic short-haired cat with what appeared to be an injured hind leg found in the area of White Flint Station condominiums, near Rockville Pike and Old Georgetown Road, has tested positive for rabies. Montgomery County public health officials would like to talk to anyone who may have had contact with the cat to discuss the type of contact and any future actions or treatments that may be needed. When left untreated, rabies is fatal in humans.

Call the Department of Health and Human Services Disease Control Program at 240-777-1755 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. if you think you may have had contact with the cat.

When a person is bitten or exposed to the saliva of a rabid animal, the disease is prevented with a four dose rabies vaccine series administered over a 14-day period and a dose of rabies immunoglobulin given at the beginning of the series (rabies post-exposure prophylaxis). Each year, about 900 Marylanders receive preventive treatment after exposure to a rabid or potentially rabid animal.