North Carolina health officials are warning people who visited a mobile petting zoo to contact their local health department after several baby goats tested positive for rabies. The infected goats were from Farm Adventures, a mobile petting zoo based in Harmony, North Carolina, that attended off-site events across multiple counties.
According to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS), 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 August 27, should contact their local health department to determine whether medication is needed to prevent infection. During that period, the petting zoo held off-site events involving children and elderly individuals across multiple counties.
The investigation into the outbreak is ongoing, and additional information about potential exposure locations will be released when available. Farm Adventures has identified the infected goats as Molly, Maggie, Cow, and Uno, and has euthanized them to prevent further spread of the disease. The petting zoo said the baby goats were housed in a separate pen away from the other animals and were too young to receive their vaccinations when a skunk entered their pen.
State health officials said several goats tested positive for rabies at the North Carolina State Laboratory of Public Health. Rabies is a viral disease that is deadly if people do not receive medical care before symptoms begin, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The virus primarily spreads through bites or scratches from an infected animal.
No human cases of rabies have been reported in North Carolina since 2011, according to NCDHHS.
NTC Report coverage is based on reporting from the original publisher.
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