Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
<br /> <br />Chapel Hill Resident Being Monitored After Encounter <br />with Rabid Raccoon <br /> <br />By Blake Hodge <br />Posted June 2, 2016 at 3:18 pm <br /> <br />The second positive rabies test result of 2016 in Orange County has been confirmed by the North <br />Carolina State Laboratory of Public Health. <br />Orange County Animal Services officials say this incident originated from a Chapel Hill resident <br />finding an injured raccoon on the roadside. The resident picked the raccoon up in a towel, <br />according to a release, and transported the animal to a veterinary office. <br />Animal Control was called and removed the raccoon to have it tested for rabies. No domesticated <br />animals were involved in the case, according to officials. <br />A communicable disease nurse from the Orange County Health Department is working to <br />evaluate whether the resident is at risk of rabies. The release says the resident directly handled <br />the towel the raccoon was in without gloves and possibly had open wounds on his hands at the <br />time of handling. <br />Orange County reported a total of 10 positive cases last year, which was a drastic drop from the <br />23 cases in 2014. <br />