Sixth Rabies Case of 2020 Confirmed in Orange County

Orange County Animal Services received its sixth positive rabies test of the year on Wednesday, its fifth involving a skunk.

The county department shared a release Wednesday morning the news after confirmation from the North Carolina State Laboratory of Public Health. It said the cases originated from an incident on Monday, March 16, in the vicinity of Lake Orange Road and NC-86 in Hillsborough. A resident discovered her dog barking at a disoriented skunk in her yard and separated the animals before calling Animal Control. Upon arrival, Animal Control removed the skunk for rabies testing.

Animal Services said because the dog had a current rabies vaccination, it was able to receive a booster vaccination with the required window of 96 hours. Whenever a pet has a “reasonable suspicion of exposure,” according to the department, a booster must be given if the animal has a valid vaccination history. If not, or the pet is unvaccinated, the animal must either be quarantined or destroyed.

This is the first reported case of rabies in Orange County since three positive cases were reported in two days in February, all of which are skunks. The location of this incident is not far from other reported skunk cases. According to Bob Marotto, Director of Orange County Animal Services, this time of the year is typically when the species breeds.

The release said because the resident touched her dog after exposure to the skunk, a Communicable Disease Nurse from the Orange County Health Department has been in contact with her to evaluate the risk of rabies exposure. A decision about the post-exposure prophylaxis that protects people from rabies is based upon an assessment of all the factors involved in these incidents.

Orange County had six total positive rabies cases in 2019 and four the previous year.

Sixth Rabies Case of 2020 Confirmed in Orange County

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