Quebec’s Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks said Monday that 34 more municipalities were added to the “enhanced monitoring zone” as outbreaks of racoon rabies increase in the province.
The enhanced monitoring zone now includes nine municipalities in Centre-du-Québec and 25 in the Montéregie region as authorities warned of a northward progression of the disease.
Monday’s announcement comes following new safety guidelines issued for residents and a warning that the rabies was on the rise in Montérégie and Estrie.
Residents in those areas are asked to report “raccoons, skunks and foxes that are dead or that appear disoriented, injured, abnormally aggressive or paralyzed” to help control the spread of the disease.
Reports can be made by calling 1-877-346-6763 (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) or online.
The ministry said that the ongoing wildlife vaccination operation will continue in July in the enhanced monitoring zones.
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In a briefing last month, public health officials said that the last outbreak of raccoon rabies in Quebec occurred between 2006 and 2009. By way of comparison, there were 104 confirmed cases over that three-year period. This time, the first case was identified in 2024, followed by 93 cases in 2025 and 76 cases in 2026—55 of which were in Montérégie—even though we are only halfway through the year, bringing the total to 170 confirmed cases since the first case appeared two and a half years ago.
However, rabies has a 100 per cent fatality rate in humans and animals if it takes hold. “It’s a disease that is always fatal once symptoms appear,” said Dr. David-Martin Milot, director of public health for the Montérégie region.
All is not lost, he said, however. “There is a preventive treatment that can be administered once the exposed person has sought medical attention; it requires rapid administration and involves several clinical steps as well.”
We’re actually talking about administering four to five doses of vaccine over a two-week period and one dose of immunoglobulin after a very obvious first step that will no doubt bring back painful memories for many: washing the affected area with soap and water for 10 to 15 minutes.
How long does it take for these symptoms—which foreshadow the worst—to appear? Dr. Alex-Ane Mathieu, a public health medical advisor, is hesitant to specify a broad timeframe, even though some studies report a three-week grace period, because the infection can progress more rapidly depending on the type of exposure and the location of the lesion on the body. This virus attacks the nervous system and makes its way to the brain: a wound to the head, for example, will significantly reduce the time it takes for the virus to reach the brain.
For her, there’s no question about it: “Usually, we tell people—really, on the very same day or the next day—that it’s absolutely crucial to seek medical attention quickly. And you don’t mess around with this, because once you have symptoms, it’s already too late.”
“Fortunately,” she says, “it’s not a very common disease among humans in Canada. The last case in Canada was in 2024, but in Quebec it was in 2000.”
In fact, the majority of cases in Canada were linked to exposure to bats, whereas the current outbreak affecting the Montérégie and Estrie regions is a case of “terrestrial rabies,” primarily associated with raccoons but capable of affecting all mammals, such as skunks or foxes, for example.
Transmission can occur through a bite, a scratch, or even simple contact between infected tissue and a mucous membrane (eyes, nose, mouth).
Could humans be vaccinated? Yes, in certain very specific cases where they are highly likely to be exposed, such as veterinarians or workers in areas with large animal populations where rabies is endemic. Dr. Milot explains, however, that given the rarity of cases, “we prefer the current approach, which is not to vaccinate the entire population. It would be very costly, and it remains a procedure that perhaps not everyone would want to undergo, especially since there are other highly effective ways to protect oneself.”
Prevention starts with obvious precautions, he explains. “The most important thing to do is to avoid contact with unfamiliar domestic animals and wild animals. That means not touching them, not petting them, not feeding them, not even approaching them—and, if possible, not moving them if they appear sick, injured, or even dead.”
Nevertheless, there is concern about the extent of the affected area and the speed at which the virus is spreading, as confirmed cases have been reported in larger urban municipalities, including Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Chambly, Beloeil, and Saint-Hyacinthe.
“There could be rabid raccoons (infected with the rabies virus) in our yards, in our gardens, on our school playgrounds—there have been some—in parks, and in our neighborhoods. That’s what we’re talking about when we talk about urban areas,” explains Dr. Mathieu.
Another essential preventive measure is to have your pets vaccinated or given booster shots as needed and to avoid letting them roam unsupervised—though this can be quite challenging in the case of cats. “We want to avoid putting ourselves at risk through our pets. So this is another way to reduce the risk of rabies in humans,” adds Dr. Mathieu.
Of course, it’s also important to teach children not to approach, pet, or lure a wild animal, even if it’s cute and appears healthy.
