Thorndale ISD has unwelcome visitor

Thorndale ISD had an unwelcome visitor late last week.

According to the Thorndale Police Department, on September 29-30 a skunk was found on the Thorndale ISD campus. 

The skunk was trapped in a utility room and was turned over to the Thorndale Police Department. There was no known contact with the skunk and it is unknown how long the skunk was located in this area. 

The Thorndale Police Department impounded the animal and submitted it for testing at the Department of State Health Services where it tested positive for rabies.

If you had contact with this skunk, you are asked to call the Thorndale PD immediately. Rabies is a fatal disease.

Persons who had contact with this skunk should see their physicians as soon as possible to discuss the need for post-exposure rabies vaccinations. Additionally, they should contact either the Thorndale Police or the Texas Department of State Health Services Zoonosis Control Program to report their potential exposures.

A rabies exposure is defined as an animal bite which breaks the skin or exposure of broken skin or mucous membranes to saliva or cerebrospinal fluid. For information, visit http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/idcu/disease/rabies/information/treatment/pe...

After families assess their potential for exposure to the rabid Skunk, they should determine if their pets could have interacted with this animal. If their pets had face-to-face contact with or were bitten by the rabid Skunk, additional rabies vaccinations for their pets may be warranted. Your veterinarian and the Texas Department of State Health Services Zoonosis Control Program (254)778-6744 can guide you through the post-exposure vaccination series and home confinement necessary after a pet has been exposed to a rabid animal.

If you have knowledge of someone that came into contact with this Skunk, please call the Thorndale Police immediately at (512) 898-2822 or the Texas Department of State Health Services Zoonosis Control Program (254)778-6744.