Burlington County Health Officer Holly Cucuzzella advised residents that a raccoon found in the vicinity of Kanabe Drive in Westampton Township has tested positive for rabies.
Residents should keep a safe distance from stray or wild animals and call their municipality for Animal Control if a stray or wild animal is discovered. Residents should not feed or try to capture any wildlife or stray animals.
Cucuzzella warns homeowners who allow their pets to roam outside unattended, to check the status of their pets’ last rabies shot. A booster shot should be given if it has been longer than three years since the last shot, or as soon as possible if no previous rabies shots were administered. If your animal has been in a fight with a wild animal or an animal of unknown immunization status, check with your veterinarian.
County Epidemiologist Kristin Healy said, “Rabies is transmitted from infected mammals to humans usually through a bite, but scratches and saliva contact with broken skin or mucous membranes are also possible routes to infection.”
Any person who had direct contact with the raccoon, or other wild or stray animals in the area may have been exposed to rabies and should contact their doctor as soon as possible.
Rabies is a viral disease that attacks the nervous system and is fatal in humans without prompt treatment. The disease is spread when a rabid animal’s saliva contacts another animal or human through wounds in the skin, typically a bite.
If bitten, treatment should begin as soon as possible. Current vaccinations are relatively painless and given as close to the injured area as possible.
If bitten, scratched or licked by a wild animal:
- Immediately wash bite wounds with plenty of soap and water
- Get prompt medical attention
- Get a description of the animal and report the bite to your local health department
For more information on rabies, visit the county website at www.co.burlington.nj.us/rabies.
