First Orange County Rabies Case of 2018 Confirmed

Orange County has received its first confirmed case of rabies for 2018.

County Animal Services officials said this case originated when residents heard their dog barking on Tuesday. They went outside and found their dog “nipping at the ears of an immobile raccoon in a pasture.”

The dog’s owner then shot the raccoon and called Animal Services, who removed the raccoon and has it tested for rabies. The North Carolina State Laboratory of Public Health returned the positive test to the county.

The dog had a current vaccination, allowing it to receive a booster shot. A second dog in the home also received a booster shot due to the possibility of a secondary exposure.

State law requires a dog, cat or ferret to receive a booster shot, if it is up to date on its vaccine. If one of those animals is unvaccinated, it must be quarantined at the owner’s expense for up to four months or euthanized.

Other animals on the property – two donkeys and two goats – are being examined by state officials to determine if they were exposed.

Raccoons and bats are the two host species of rabies in Orange County. Other animals may contact rabies through “spillover” cases.

This is the first positive case of rabies in the county this year, following nine cases in 2017 and six in 2016. Orange County saw a spike in rabies cases to 23 in 2014.

First Orange County Rabies Case of 2018 Confirmed

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