NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) – The Hampton & Peninsula Health District confirmed a dead raccoon discovered in Newport News tested positive for rabies.
The health district said this information mostly impacts residents in the Clipper Drive and Lucas Creek Road area of Newport News. The local office of Environmental Health Services will be contacting immediate neighbors and any civic or homeowner’s association that serves the community.
If you had any contact with this animal (bite, scratch or contact with saliva by open wound or eyes, nose, mouth), contact the Health Department at Peninsula Health District Environmental Health Office at (757) 594-7340.
Exposures also include direct contact between your pet and the rabid animal.
After hours, contact local Animal Control:
- Hampton 757-727-6111
- Newport News/Poquoson 757-595-7387
- Williamsburg/JCC 757-565-0370 (daytime); 757-253-1800 (evenings, weekends, holidays)
- York County 757-890-3601
Rabies is a fatal, but preventable, disease.
The district would like to remind all citizens to follow these three important rabies prevention guidelines:
- Vaccinate your pets.
- Report all exposures to animals (usually bites and scratches) to your doctor and the local health department.
- Enjoy wildlife from a distance – don’t feed or encourage wild animals such as raccoons, skunks or foxes to visit your premises.