Orange County Identifies Two Rabies Cases Involving Cat and Raccoon
Orange County Animal Services reported two positive rabies tests confirmed by the North Carolina State Laboratory of Public Health. The first incident involved a raccoon that bit a dog on April 4 in Chapel Hill. The dog is currently under treatment by animal control. The second incident occurred on April 7 in Hillsborough, where a cat bit a person. The cat, which lived outdoors but was cared for, led to the exposed individual receiving rabies prophylaxis treatment. Rabies is a viral infection transmitted through saliva, typically via bites or scratches. The county emphasizes that all mammals can be infected with rabies, with common carriers including raccoons, skunks, foxes, and bats. In the U.S., most human rabies cases have been traced to bats. 
