Orange County Animal Services received its fourth positive rabies test result of the year, according to the North Carolina State Laboratory of Public Health. The case comes just over a week after the county’s third case of 2019.

The incident occurred in Mebane near Lee Street and Mill Creek Road on Thursday, August 8. A resident’s dog killed a fox in his yard, county officials said in a release. After the resident called Animal Control, the deceased fox was taken away for testing and was found positive for rabies.

Orange County Animal Services says foxes and other mammals that become rabid in this region are likely victims of the “spillover effect.” Raccoons are the animal that most commonly tests positive for rabies in the state, meaning they are the dominant reservoir species.

The dog that killed the fox had a current rabies vaccination and received the required booster vaccination within the necessary window. When there is “a reasonable suspicion of exposure,” a pet with a valid vaccination history must receive a booster shot within 96 hours of the incident. If they have not been regularly vaccinated, they either must be quarantined for months or destroyed. It is a North Carolina law that dogs, cats and ferrets older than four months must have a current and valid rabies vaccination at all times.

The other host species of rabies in the Orange County area is bats. Of the few cases of rabies in humans in our country in recent years, most have been traced to bats.

Orange County Animal Services will be holding a low-cost rabies clinic for pet owners who need to update their animals’ vaccinations on August 15. From 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., they will offer one and three-year rabies vaccines for $10 and microchips for $35. The rabies clinic will be at the Animal Services Center on Eubanks Road in Chapel Hill.

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