Orange County Reports First Rabies Case of 2024, Citing Raccoon in Chapel Hill

Orange County has received its first report of a positive case of rabies in 2024, according to the county’s animal services department.

A release on Wednesday said a Chapel Hill resident saw their dog have an altercation with a raccoon near Southern Village and U.S. Highway 15-501 on Tuesday. The resident called Animal Control, which took the raccoon for rabies testing, and the North Carolina State Laboratory of Public Health’s results came back on Wednesday.

Raccoons are a common vector species for rabies — and represented nearly half of Orange County’s cases in 2023. Seven positive cases were reported in the last year: three raccoons, three skunks and one fox. While 2023 represented an increase compared to 2022 and 2021’s four cases each, the rabies numbers are relatively stable compared to statewide data through the North Carolina Department of Health & Human Services. 

Orange County Animal Services reminded residents that rabies — which is a viral infection — is transmitted through secondary saliva exposure. People should not touch their pets without gloves is there’s concern of a possible exposure to a rabid animal. If an animal is seen acting strangely, the county department urges people not to try and capture the animal, but instead to call Animal Control or 911.

Additionally, the county department encourages pet owners to keep up with their pet vaccinations. Not only is it required by law in North Carolina, but animals exposed to a positive rabies case that do not have a vaccine are either euthanized or quarantined for several months. Dogs, cats and ferrets with a valid rabies vaccination history must receive a booster shot within four days of the rabies exposure. No information was shared in Wednesday’s release about the condition of the Chapel Hill resident’s dog.

Orange County Animal Services hosts periodic low-cost rabies vaccination clinics for dogs and cats — with four more scheduled in 2024 after the first was held this past weekend. For more information on clinics and future dates, visit the county government’s website. Additional rabies resources from Orange County can be found here.

Photo via Jordan Rushton.

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