Add StudioX as a preferred source on GoogleNo more skunks with rabies have been found in downtown Vancouver, according to Vancouver Coastal Health, as reported by The Tyee. The health authority issued a warning on Oct. 21 after one skunk tested positive for the virus in the area.
Vancouver Coastal Health says the risk of rabies exposure in B.C. remains very low.
What happened downtown
The warning urged anyone who had direct contact with a skunk between Sept. 22 and Oct. 17 to contact the health authority right away for an assessment.
Vancouver Coastal Health said in an email that “a small number” of people reported exposure to the skunk and received appropriate follow-up care. It declined to give an exact figure, citing patient confidentiality.
Several skunks in the downtown area were euthanized so they could be tested. All of those tests came back negative, Erin Fraser, a public health veterinarian at the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC), told The Tyee.
The skunk that tested positive had the bat variant of rabies, Fraser said.
Treatment and risks
After a bite or scratch from an infected animal, there is a window in which people and pets can receive post-exposure rabies vaccine and immunoglobulin to prevent illness. The vaccine is injected into the arm, like a flu shot. The immunoglobulin is injected near the bite or scratch site.
Anyone bitten or scratched should also wash the wound thoroughly with soap and water for at least 15 minutes right after a potential exposure.
Without treatment, symptoms may appear within three to eight weeks, and infected people or animals usually die within 10 days of developing symptoms. Rabies is almost always fatal. Fraser said the virus can incubate for up to six months, though the average is closer to 12 weeks.
Skunk cases are relatively rare in B.C. The BCCDC counts one in 2004, one in 2021 and two this year, one in Vancouver and one in the Interior. Human cases are rarer still, with one death in 2003 and one in 2019.
In 2025, 931 people in B.C. received preventive treatment after a potential exposure. That rose to 1,598 in 2026. The BCCDC previously told The Tyee the increase is likely due to greater public awareness, not a real rise in risk.
Bats are the main source in B.C.
Of the 188 confirmed rabies cases in B.C. from 2000 to 2025, 183 were in bats, according to the BCCDC’s 2026 rabies surveillance report. About one in 200 bats in the province carries rabies. B.C. has only the bat variant, and bats are its only reservoir species.
By comparison, the Public Health Agency of Canada says bat, skunk, fox and raccoon variants are found across the country. Manitoba has the bat, skunk and fox variants, while Nunavut has only the fox variant.
Fraser said it is possible the raccoon or skunk variants could reach B.C., but that does not appear to have happened. She said there is no concern that the bat variant could begin spreading through the local skunk population.
Bats live throughout B.C., including in cities, but are rarely noticed because they fly at night. A healthy bat will almost always avoid people. Anyone touched by a bat should be assessed by a doctor, because the bat may have been unhealthy.
Fraser also stressed the value of bats. “Bats have so many positive roles in the environment and in biodiversity,” she said, pointing to pollination and pest control.
Protecting pets and people
Vancouver Coastal Health says no rabid cats or dogs have ever been identified in its region. Veterinarians still recommend regular rabies vaccination for all pets, in case a pet brings home a bat or a bat gets into the house.
Routine rabies vaccination is not recommended for the general public. It is advised only for people with an ongoing risk of contact with infected animals, such as bat researchers, spelunkers and veterinarians.
Source: The Tyee
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