WILLIAMSBURG — A raccoon found in the Settlers Mill neighborhood has tested positive for rabies, the Peninsula Health District announced Friday.
The animal was found in the 200 block of Mill Stream Way.
. Rabies is a fatal but preventable disease that mammals can carry. The local Environmental Health office will contact the immediate neighbors and any civic or homeowners association serving the community, the district said. An exposure to rabies includes a bite or scratch, or contact with the animal’s saliva through an open wound or the eyes, nose or mouth.
Officials urged residents to take three steps: vaccinate pets, report all animal exposures, which are usually bites and scratches, to a doctor and the local health department, and enjoy wildlife from a distance rather than feeding or encouraging animals to visit their property.
Anyone with information about a possible exposure to the raccoon should call the district’s Williamsburg/James City County Environmental Health Office at 757-603-4277. Direct contact between a pet and the raccoon also counts. After hours, residents can call James City County Animal Control at 757-566-0221.
