Rabies Alert In Middlesex County After 5 Animals Test Positive

A New Jersey county has issued a rabies alert after five animals have tested positive.

The Middlesex County Office of Health Services is reporting that a raccoon tested positive for rabies in Old Bridge in the vicinity of Matchaponix and Englishtown roads.

This is the fifth rabid animal reported within Middlesex County for 2016 and the second rabid animal reported in Old Bridge, according to a county news release.

On Saturday, May 28, a raccoon was found to be acting strangely and aggressively in an Old Bridge resident’s yard. The raccoon was killed in the altercation with the owner’s dogs and was sent to the New Jersey Department of Health Laboratory for testing, according to the release.

It was reported on Friday that the animal tested positive for rabies. The two dogs at the residence have been placed on 45-day quarantines. The residents have been notified to consult a physician regarding potential post exposure treatment.

Additionally, Middlesex County Office of Health Services’ Registered Environmental Health Specialists will be distributing rabies fact sheets within the area.

The Middlesex County Office of Health Services continues to monitor rabies cases within the municipality. Residents should report wild animals showing signs of unusual behavior to the Police Department, according to the release.

Additionally, it is recommended that residents should avoid contact with wild animals and immediately report any bites from wild or domestic animals to your local health department and consult a physician as soon as possible.

Finally, be sure that all family pets are up to date on their rabies vaccinations and licenses.

Rabies is caused by a virus which can infect all warm-blooded mammals, including man. The rabies virus is found in the saliva of a rabid animal and is transmitted by a bite, or possibly by contamination of an open cut, according to the release.

New Jersey is enzootic for raccoon and bat variants of rabies. Bats, raccoons, skunks, groundhogs, foxes, cats, and dogs represent about 95 percent of animals diagnosed with rabies in the United States.