9th Rabid Animal Reported In Middlesex County

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ — A skunk tested positive for rabies in Monroe Township near Schoolhouse Road and Galacia Way, the Middlesex County Office of Health Services said.

This is the ninth rabid animal reported within the County this year and the second in Monroe, officials said. A Monroe resident and their pet dog were bitten by a rabid skunk on Nov. 17. Read More Here: Middlesex County Resident, Dog Bitten By Rabid Skunk

On Thursday, Dec. 2, a resident called Animal Control to report an injured skunk in their yard. The animal was picked up and transported to a wildlife rehabilitator in Mercer County.

On Monday, Dec. 6, the skunk died at that facility, officials said. It was then taken to the New Jersey Department of Health Laboratory for testing. On Thursday, Dec. 9, it was reported that the animal tested positive for rabies. Officials notified the wildlife rehabilitator to consult with a physician regarding rabies post-exposure treatment.

The rabies virus is found in the saliva of a rabid animal and is transmitted by bite or contamination of an open cut. New Jersey is enzootic for raccoon and bat variants of rabies. Bats, skunks, groundhogs, foxes, cats, and dogs represent about 95 percent of animals diagnosed with rabies in the United States, officials said.

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