On Tuesday, Orange County Animal Services received a positive rabies result from the North Carolina Rabies Laboratory for a raccoon. This is the tenth confirmed rabies case in Orange County for 2009. On July 2, a resident in the vicinity of Hatch Road and Brookfield Drive west of Chapel Hill saw a dead raccoon in his yard. The resident’s dogs were vaccinated against rabies and received a booster shot.
According to state law, if there is “a reasonable suspicion of exposure,†a cat or dog with a current vaccination must receive a booster shot within 72 hours of exposure. In this case, the dog received a booster rabies vaccination the day after its contact with the raccoon. Unvaccinated animals have to be either euthanized or quarantined for a period of six months.