Three Animals Test Positive for Rabies in Gloucester County

A bat and two raccoons tested positive for rabies in three Gloucester County, New Jersey, communities this week, according to county health officials cited by The Philadelphia Inquirer and Patch on October 2. A person and a dog were exposed to the bat in Glassboro.

Where the animals were found

• Glassboro: the bat was found near Joseph L. Bowe Boulevard and tested positive on September 29.
• Pitman: a raccoon near Florence Avenue tested positive on October 1.
• Mantua: a raccoon near Quest Court tested positive on October 1.

Patch reports that no human exposure was reported in either raccoon case; possible contact with other animals was unclear. The reports identify the Glassboro dog as exposed. They do not say the dog tested positive, and they do not provide its vaccination status or a subsequent outcome.

Who to contact after a possible exposure

Gloucester County’s official rabies page directs people who have been bitten or had contact with an animal’s saliva to seek medical care and notify the Health Department. Its exposure reporting number is (856) 218 4170. The county also provides an animal exposure report through its rabies page.

For an animal behaving strangely, Patch relays the county Animal Control number, (856) 881 2828. Residents should avoid handling wildlife and check that their pets’ rabies vaccinations are current.

Contact a veterinarian promptly if a pet may have had an exposure. CDC guidance calls for public health assessment of the encounter. For an exposed dog whose rabies vaccination is current, it recommends an immediate booster and 45 days of monitoring under owner supervision. Never vaccinated dogs require a different, stricter response directed by veterinary and public health authorities.

Simply being near a suspect animal is not itself an exposure under CDC guidance, although officials may need to assess free roaming pets. A sighting and direct contact therefore call for different assessments; the dog’s vaccination records and details of the encounter help officials decide what is needed.

How we reported this: The case details come from two reports attributing them to county health officials. We checked the reporting contact against the county website and the pet exposure guidance against CDC guidance. The county’s linked social media announcement was inaccessible.