Orange County has received its seventh positive rabies test of the year, according to the North Carolina State Laboratory of Public Health.

The county’s Animal Services announced on Thursday that this incident involved a skunk and occurred in Cedar Grove. A resident found a dead skunk in an outdoor enclosure with their dog. Animal Control arrived and removed the skunk for rabies testing.

The resident’s dog had a current vaccination and therefore is able to receive a booster rabies vaccination within the required window of 96 hours after the exposure. If an unvaccinated cat or dog comes into contact with an animal with rabies, it must be wither destroyed or quarantined for a period of up to 4 months.

Because a member of the resident’s family had direct contact with the dog after exposure to the skunk, a Communicable Disease Nurse from the Orange County Health Department is in contact to evaluate the risks of potential rabies exposure.

Orange County Animal Services said skunks that become rabid in this area are likely the victims of the “spillover effect,” or contracting the virus from the dominant reservoir species in the area, which is the raccoon in North Carolina.

Orange County has suspended low-cost rabies vaccination clinics due to the COVID-19 outbreak, but clinic dates and more information can be found on the county’s website.

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