Rabid animal count climbing

A skunk tested positive for rabies in Monroe, Middlesex County, in the vicinity of Linwood Drive and Cranbury Station Road. This is the fifth rabid animal reported within Middlesex County for 2008.

On May 22, the Monroe Police Department received a report that a skunk was acting aggressively. The skunk went into a dog pen and attacked a resident's dog. A positive specimen result was reported by the state laboratory on May 27. One potential human exposure was reported and was advised to speak with a physician. The dog exposed to the animal had a current rabies vaccination and received a booster shot after the incident. The dog has been placed under 45-day quarantine.

The Middlesex County Public Health Department continues to monitor rabies cases within the county. Residents should report wild animals showing signs of unusual behavior and have their pets receive their rabies vaccination. The health department advises residents to avoid contact with wild animals, immediately report any bites from wild or domestic animals to the local health department, and consult a physician as soon as possible.

Rabies is caused by a virus that can infect all mammals, including humans. The rabies virus is found in the saliva of a rabid animal and is transmitted by a bite, or possibly by contamination of an open cut. New Jersey is enzootic for raccoon and bat variants of rabies. Bats, raccoons, skunks, groundhogs, foxes, cats and dogs represent about 95 percent of animals diagnosed with rabies in the United States.