Raccoon tests positive for rabies in Camden County, NJ town

🔴 A sick raccoon tested positive for rabies in a Camden County township

🔴 There were no human exposures to the wild animal

🔴 While rabies is serious, it can be prevented with early treatment

VOORHEES — Heads up if you live in the Camden County township.

A sick raccoon has tested positive for rabies, according to the county health department.

On June 30, a raccoon was found in a Voorhees resident’s yard. An animal control officer picked up the animal and it was submitted for rabies testing at the state Public Health and Environmental Laboratories in Trenton.

The Camden County Health Department was notified this week by the state Department of Health and Human Services that the raccoon, was indeed, rabid.

The health department said there is no human exposures to the raccoon, but there was a potential exposure to a resident’s dog.

“Although rabies is a serious illness, it can be prevented by early treatment,” said Commissioner Virginia Betteridge, liaison to the Camden County Health Department.

If anyone has been bitten or scratched by a wild animal it is important that they seek immediate medical attention, she added.

Betteridge urged county residents to observe these few simple rules:

1. Keep vaccinations up to date for all dogs, cats, and ferrets
2. Keep your pets under direct supervision so they do not come in contact with wild animals. If your pet is bitten by a wild animal, seek veterinary assistance for the animal immediately.
3. Contact your local animal control agency to remove any stray animals from your neighborhood. They may be unvaccinated and could be infected by the disease.

More information is available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/rabies/

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