Baby goats test positive for rabies as officials seek people who may have been exposed
Several baby goats from Farm Adventures, a mobile petting zoo based in Harmony, North Carolina, were exposed to rabies.
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THE TAKEAWAY
- The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services said several baby goats from a mobile petting zoo tested positive for rabies.
- The NC State Laboratory of Public Health confirmed the rabies virus in three of the baby goats on Aug. 28.
- Officials are warning residents who had contact with the baby goats to get tested.
Health officials in North Carolina are warning residents who had contact with baby goats at a mobile petting zoo to contact their local health department after three of the animals tested positive for rabies.
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The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) said several baby goats from Farm Adventures, a mobile petting zoo based in Harmony, North Carolina, were exposed to rabies.
Baby goats at a mobile petting zoo in North Carolina tested positive for rabies.
(Mehmet Ali Ozcan/Anadolu Agency / Getty Images)
Farm Adventures attended multiple off-site events across North Carolina.
Officials recommend that anyone who had contact with baby goats from Farm Adventures, either at its Harmony location or at an off-site event between July 28 and Aug. 27, contact their local health department to determine whether medication is needed to prevent rabies infection, according to NCDHHS.
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"We are working closely with public health officials, the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and animal control to address this issue and ensure the safety of our animals and clients," Farm Adventures said in a social media statement.
Health officials in North Carolina are warning residents who had contact with baby goats at a mobile petting zoo after three of the animals tested positive for rabies.
(Lokman Ilhan/Anadolu Agency / Getty Images)
NCDHHS was first notified of the incident on Aug. 27. Officials said the goats were most likely exposed to rabies by a skunk.
The NC State Laboratory of Public Health confirmed the rabies virus in three of the baby goats on Aug. 28. A fourth goat was not tested, but is also presumed to have been infected.
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Since then, NCDHHS and the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA&CS) have been working with Farm Adventures and affected local health departments to gather information about potential exposures and identify locations where people may have come into contact with the goats.
The department was first notified of this incident on Aug. 27.
(Rafael Bastante/Europa Press / Getty Images)
Based on information gathered as of Aug. 28, officials determined that no other animals at the farm pose a risk of rabies exposure to people.
According to FOX News Digital, the four goats were too young to receive their rabies vaccinations when a skunk entered their pen. Although the skunk was removed, the petting zoo was unaware that the goats had been bitten.
"They showed no sign or symptoms of rabies," Farm Adventures told FOX News Digital.
Rabies is a deadly disease that can spread from infected animals to pets and people, primarily through a bite or scratch, or when infected saliva comes into contact with broken skin or mucous membranes.
The NC State Laboratory of Public Health confirmed the rabies virus in three of the baby goats on Aug. 28.
(WIEGMANN/AFP / Getty Images)
While the risk of rabies transmission from livestock is generally lower than the risk associated with bites from wild animals, exposure to saliva from an infected animal can still transmit the virus.
Because baby goats are often bottle-fed, handled closely and cuddled, public health officials are working proactively to identify and evaluate anyone who may have had direct contact with the affected animals.
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Human rabies infections are extremely rare in the United States. No human cases have been reported in North Carolina since 2011.
Rabies is almost always fatal in mammals, including humans, once symptoms develop. However, medications given before symptoms appear can prevent the infection from becoming deadly.