North Carolina officials warn of possible rabies exposure after baby goats test positive
North Carolina health officials are urging anyone who touched, held, fed or handled baby goats at a mobile petting zoo between 28 July and 27 August to contact their local health department after several of the animals were found to have rabies.
The goats belonged to Farm Adventures, a mobile petting zoo based in Harmony, Iredell County, which took the animals to events across multiple North Carolina counties. The potential exposure period includes visits to the farm and off-site events attended by children, older adults and other members of the public.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services said three of four baby goats tested positive for rabies at the North Carolina State Laboratory of Public Health. The fourth goat was not tested but is presumed to have been infected. All four animals were euthanised, according to Farm Adventures.
Officials said the goats were probably exposed when a skunk entered their separate pen in late July. Farm Adventures said the skunk was removed, but the facility was unaware that the goats had been bitten because they showed no visible signs or symptoms of rabies.
The goats, identified by the petting zoo as Molly, Maggie, Cow and Uno, were too young to have received rabies vaccinations, according to the business. One of the animals was sent for a necropsy after a veterinarian investigated its condition, leading to the discovery of the infection.
Potential exposure sites identified by state officials include Jurney’s Assisted Living and Brookdale Peachtree in Statesville, private events in Mecklenburg, Burke and Watauga counties, the Community Connections Back-to-School Bash in Lexington, a community event in Mocksville and private events in Durham. The goats were also present at the Farm Adventures site in Harmony.
Health departments are contacting organisers of the affected events, while the investigation continues. Officials said further locations may be added as information is confirmed.
Anyone who had direct contact with the goats during the period should call their local health department before visiting an emergency department or urgent-care clinic. Public health staff will assess the nature of the contact and determine whether rabies post-exposure treatment is required.
Officials said there is no broad risk to the public from the incident. The concern is limited to people who had direct contact with the affected goats, particularly if saliva may have entered a bite, scratch, open wound, or the eyes, nose or mouth.
Farm Adventures said in a statement that it was working with public health officials, the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and animal control authorities.
“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,” the business said. “These past few days have been incredibly difficult for us.”
Rabies is a viral disease that affects the brain and nervous system and is almost always fatal once symptoms begin. Early symptoms can include fever, headache, weakness and tingling or itching at the site of exposure, but symptoms may take weeks or months to appear.
Prompt treatment before symptoms develop can prevent the disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says post-exposure prophylaxis generally includes thorough wound cleaning, rabies immune globulin and a course of rabies vaccine, although public health officials must first assess whether treatment is necessary.
About 100,000 people in the United States receive rabies post-exposure treatment each year, according to the CDC. Human infections remain extremely rare, and North Carolina has not reported a human rabies case since 2011.
