Raccoon captured in Newark tests positive for rabies

4:09 p.m., July 19, 2006--On Thursday, July 13, Newark's animal control officer collected a sick raccoon from the rear of a property located in the 700 block of Harvard Lane, which is located in Nottingham Green in the city of Newark. The department has since learned from the Division of Public Health that the animal tested positive for the rabies virus.

The Newark Police Department reminds residents to make sure their pets' rabies vaccinations are current. Newark residents who live in Nottingham Green and the surrounding neighborhoods of western Newark should pay particular attention to their children and their pets to ensure that they do not have any contact with wild animals. This is particularly important if the animal appears to be sick or dead.

The following rabies information is provided by the Delaware Division of Public Health:

Rabies disease is caused by a virus infecting the nerve tissue, spinal cord and brain of a mammal. It causes inflammation of the tissues around the brain and nerves, and the disease is always fatal to its host;
The virus that causes rabies is found in the saliva of infected Delaware wildlife. Rabies virus may be transmitted by the bite or scratch of an infected animal, passing this virus through the skin to a new host victim. Rabies virus also may be transmitted if infected saliva touches the lining of the nose, mouth, or eyes. The most common carrier of rabies in Delaware is the raccoon; and
After a bite or scratch from a known or suspect animal occurs, rabies disease is prevented in a human victim by the administration of rabies vaccine and rabies immune globulin, as soon as possible after the incident.

For more information about rabies or transmission of the disease, contact the Delaware Division of Public Health's Rabies Prevention and Control Hotline at (302) 744-4545.

Any resident who observes a wild animal that appears to be sick, injured or deceased, or observes an animal that is normally nocturnal (e.g. raccoons, foxes, opossums, etc.) wandering about during daylight hours is asked to call the Newark Police Department at (302) 366-7111.

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