Health officials in Henderson County, N.C., are warning residents that there’s been an unusual increase in raccoon attacks in recent months.
The local Department of Public Health said they normally don’t see any attacks from these kinds of animals, according to a statement obtained Wednesday by ABC News Asheville.
“We consider this to be unusual raccoon activity. There have been some human and animal interactions in the past 2-3 months. This is unusual because we typically don’t see any raccoon attacks,” the statement said.
“In addition, we’ve also received multiple reports about sick raccoons. I can add that the human contacts did receive post-exposure prophylaxis. The animal involved was subject to quarantine.”
One major concern in these encounters is the spread of rabies, a potentially fatal disease that can be passed along to humans via saliva, usually through bites, scratches or even licks from infected animals, according to the World Health Organization.
The disease can be present in animals that appear healthy, typically spreading in wild mammals including raccoons, bats, skunks and foxes.
Health officials are urging Henderson County public to remain vigilant and report any interactions with raccoons to authorities immediately to reduce the risk of rabies transmission.