Raccoon rabies New measures in the Eastern Townships and Montérégie to curb the epidemic
The raccoon rabies epidemic continues to spread in Estrie and Montérégie, where the ban on transporting animals was extended on Tuesday and is expanding to new areas.
Published yesterday at 11:52
Jean-Thomas Léveillé
La Presse
Stoke and Saint-François-Xavier-de-Brompton are added to the hundred or so municipalities where it is forbidden to transport raccoons, but also striped skunks, grey and red foxes as well as coyotes and their hybrids.
Consult the list of municipalities concerned
Furthermore, animal shelters are no longer allowed to receive or retrieve these animals from areas where the ban is in effect.
"This is to avoid moving the disease elsewhere, where it could affect many more animals," explains biologist Marianne Gagnier, provincial coordinator of rabies surveillance and control at the Ministry of the Environment, the Fight Against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks (MELCCFP).
These measures are all the more important because an animal that appears healthy can carry the virus and develop symptoms of rabies several weeks or even several months after being infected, she points out.
The only way to determine if an animal is infected with the virus is to analyze a part of its brain, which implies that the animal is dead.
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Fourteen new cases of raccoon rabies have been recorded since the beginning of 2026, bringing the total to 108 cases since the start of the outbreak in December 2024.
"There has been progress in recent weeks, we cannot say that the epidemic is under control," says Ms. Gagnier .
The number of new cases is similar to that of last year at this time, but the affected area is much larger, she observes.
Two distinct hotspots coexist: one in the Lake Champlain valley, the other in the Lake Memphremagog valley.
One of the new cases was recorded in Rougemont, about fifteen kilometers north of the nearest previous case, which is suspicious in the eyes of the authorities.
"This is the kind of situation that can be caused by human displacement," explains Ms. Gagnier , specifying that there is no way to say with certainty that this is indeed the case.
Deadly disease
Rabies is fatal in 100% of cases, including in humans, as soon as symptoms appear.
Anyone who has been bitten or scratched, or who has come into contact with the saliva of a suspected animal, should clean the wound with soap and water for 10 to 15 minutes, then quickly contact the Info-Santé 811 service.
The population of the Estrie and Montérégie regions, particularly in areas affected by the epidemic, is invited to report raccoons, skunks and foxes that are dead or that appear disoriented, injured, abnormally aggressive or paralyzed, by filling out an online form.
Fill out the online form
Vaccination operations
To curb the spread of the epidemic, Quebec will resume vaccination operations in the spring, by aerial or ground spraying of vaccine baits, like those that have been carried out since 2024 .
The goal is to create a "vaccine barrier," explains Marianne Gagnier: "All vaccinated animals represent a barrier against the progression of the disease."
Vaccines spread in the spring target adult animals, while summer spreadings allow for the vaccination of their young.
Although the situation remains worrying, the authorities are confident in the effectiveness of the measures they are putting in place.
“Based on past experience, we know that it takes several years of intervention to control rabies in wild animal populations,” explains Ms. Gagnier . “We need to build immunity.”
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Rabies in animals
Animal transport is prohibited in the Eastern Townships and Montérégie regions.
Until June 6, 2026 , it is prohibited to move or relocate raccoons, striped skunks, grey and red foxes, as well as coyotes and their hybrids, when alive, within the territory of municipalities (PDF 253 KB) located around known cases of raccoon rabies.
If you capture a nuisance animal (raccoon, striped skunk, grey fox, red fox or coyote) and it has not been possible beforehand to scare it away or prevent it from causing damage to your property , you have two options :
- Release the animal on the spot (outside a building);
- Killing the animal (as a last resort). No permit is required in this context, and it can be done outside of hunting and trapping seasons.
If you have been bitten or scratched by an animal or have come into contact with its saliva, see the What to do after contact with a possibly infected animal section of the Rabies in humans page.
If you suspect that your pet has come into contact with an animal infected with rabies, consult your veterinarian immediately.
If you suspect that a wild animal has rabies , keep your distance and report its presence to 1-877-346-6763 or fill out the form. online form
The animal could be recovered for analysis.
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Cases of rabies in animals
In Quebec, cases of rabies are detected in wild and domestic animals every year. These cases are detected following tests performed on animals:
- who have had contact with a human or a domestic animal;
- who have suspicious signs of rabies;
- which were recovered as part of targeted rabies or wildlife health surveillance programs.
The absence of detected rabies cases in a region or sector does not mean that the virus is absent from that territory. The risk of finding a wild or domestic animal infected with the rabies virus exists throughout Quebec.
The table shows the laboratory-confirmed cases of rabies by year.
2026
Since January 1, 2026, 14 cases of raccoon rabies have been confirmed. It should be noted that cases were also confirmed in 2025 and 2024.
| 2026-03-23 | Raccoon | Raccoon | Montérégie | Henryville |
| 2026-03-09 | Raccoon | Raccoon | Montérégie | Saint Alexander |
| 2026-03-09 | Raccoon | Raccoon | Montérégie | Saint Alexander |
| 2026-03-09 | Raccoon | Raccoon | Eastern Townships | Cowansville |
| 2026-03-05 | Raccoon | Raccoon | Montérégie | Clarenceville |
| 2026-03-05 | Raccoon | Raccoon | Montérégie | Rougemont |
| 2026-03-04 | Raccoon | Raccoon | Montérégie | Clarenceville |
| 2026-02-26 | Raccoon | Raccoon | Eastern Townships | Saint-Ignace-de-Stanbridge |
| 2026-02-01 | Raccoon | Raccoon | Eastern Townships | Saint-Ignace-de-Stanbridge |
| 2026-01-19 | Raccoon | Raccoon | Eastern Townships | Farnham |
| 2026-01-19 | Raccoon | Raccoon | Montérégie | Venice in Quebec |
| 2026-01-11 | Raccoon | Raccoon | Montérégie | Noyan |
| 2026-01-09 | Raccoon | Raccoon | Eastern Townships | Dunham |
| 2026-01-04 | Raccoon | Raccoon | Eastern Townships | Bedford |
| 2026-01-24 | Large brown bat | Bat | Mauricie | Trois-Rivières |
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