Understanding Rabies: Protecting People and Pets

Share This Event

*Registration payment includes Credit Cards and Interfund Transfers ONLY.

Description

This training is proudly funded by the Lincoln County Health Department.

South Piedmont AHEC, in collaboration with the Lincoln County Health Department is hosting a specialized in-person training focused on rabies prevention and response. This session is designed to address the recent rise in rabies cases in the region and equip participants with essential knowledge and strategies to protect public health.

A 2-hour training on rabies in NC will be provided to public health, animal control, and veterinary personnel. Emily Herring, Public Health Veterinarian with NCDHHS, will provide an overview of rabies epidemiology and discuss the scientific and legal basis for rabies prevention and control measures for both people and domestic animals in NC.

Speaker

Emily C. Herring, DVM, PhD
Public Health Veterinarian
Division of Public Health, Communicable Disease Branch
North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services

Who Should Attend
Region IV - Physicians and other medical professionals, veterinarians, veterinary technicians, animal control officers, shelter managers and workers, and public health professionals

Date and Time
Thursday, January 29, 2026
9:00 AM - 11:00 AM

Location
James W. Warren Citizens Center
115 W Main St
Lincolnton, NC 28092
Light breakfast and refreshments will be served

Credits
CEUs
This Activity fulfills the requirement of 0.2 Continuing Education Units (CEUs).

Contact Hours
This Activity fulfills the requirements for 2.0 Contact Hours.

NCVMB
This Activity fulfills the requirements for 2.0 NCVMB CE Hours.

Sponsor



Registering for and attending a South Piedmont AHEC program authorizes South Piedmont AHEC to take audio, video, and/or still images to be used for promotional and educational purposes. If you have concerns, please speak with a South Piedmont AHEC team member. By registering for this training, you are granting permission for South Piedmont AHEC to share your information with Lincoln County Health Department.

Objectives

• Describe the history and epidemiology of rabies in the United States and North Carolina.
• Explain rabies public health surveillance, including specimen submission criteria, and its impact on surveillance data.
• Discuss recent rabies surveillance data from Public Health Region IV in comparison to statewide rabies surveillance data.
• Discuss the factors that inform rabies risk assessments, including characteristics and prevalence of rabies, high risk animals that may be reservoirs, clinical and behavioral symptoms that animals may or may not exhibit, the types of body fluids that are infectious, and the types of exposures that may occur (direct, indirect, and bat).
• Describe appropriate control measures to implement when a human or domestic animal exposure occurs.
• Outline rabies prevention measures for both people and domestic animals.
• Identify the roles and responsibilities of Animal Control, the Local Health Department, and pet owners (dogs, cats, and ferrets), including recommendations for defining responsibilities during responses involving multiple jurisdictions.
• Identify resources for rabies risk assessments and appropriate administration of post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP).

Sessions