A raccoon has tested positive for rabies in Craven County.
The Craven County Health Department said the sick animal was found on Golden Road in Truitt.
Health officials said rabies can be transmitted by bites of an infected animal or via contamination of open wounds or mucus membranes with infected saliva; it’s a fatal disease that can be successfully treated if medication is given in a timely manner after exposure.
Officials with the health department added that a common mistake pet owners make is using their bare hands to check their pet for bites from a potentially rabid animal; CCHD said if a pet is bitten, owners should leave the wound alone and take the animal to a veterinarian.
