On April 12, Orange County Animal Services received a positive rabies result from a bat in the second confirmed Orange County rabies case in 2010. The exposure occurred on April 8 in the vicinity of Orange Grove Road and Old South Drive in Hillsborough. A resident discovered a dead bat at the bottom of her front-porch stairs. The resident’s pets, a cat and two dogs, had already been vaccinated against rabies. The animals received booster shots within 120 hours of the exposure, in accordance with North Carolina law.
Animal Services director Bob Marotto urged residents to call animal services immediately in the event of a possible rabies exposure and to booster household animals within the legally required 120-hour period.
“Equally important is to remember that bats are of utmost concern relative to rabies, such that all contact should be reported right away,†he added.