The Guilford County Department of Public Health says 24 confirmed animal rabies cases have been reported so far this year, that’s up from a total of 18 in 2011.  The latest one occurred on October 16, when a raccoon found on West Florida Street in Greensboro tested positive for the rabies virus.

“We have had raccoons, foxes, skunks, we have had a bat, the majority of cases this year have been in raccoons or wild animals. We are trying to get residents of Guilford County to make sure they do not engage or try to rescue any wild animal that they see in their yard,” says Sandy Ellington, Community Health Educator for the Guilford County Department of Public Health.

Rabies can be fatal. Ellington says no confirmed human cases of rabies have been reported in Guilford County, but she says dogs and other family pets have been exposed. She says North Carolina law requires all domestic pets four months and older be vaccinated.

“If your pet is vaccinated and they already have their rabies shot and are exposed to a rabid animal, they simply need a booster shot. If they are not are not vaccinated, the pet either has to be confined at an approved pet facility or it has to be euthanized,” says Ellington.