SEAFORD — The Hampton & Peninsula Health Districts is notifying residents in the area of Ira Drive and Martin Avenue in Seaford that a raccoon has tested positive for the rabies virus.
The raccoon is deceased, the department said.
Anyone with information regarding exposure to the animal — bite, scratch or contact with saliva by open wound or eyes, nose, mouth — should contact the Health Department at Peninsula Health Department Environmental Health Office at 757-594-7340. Exposures also include direct contact between a pet and the rabid animal.
After hours, residents should contact their 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
The Hampton & Peninsula Health Districts war that rabies is a fatal, but preventable, disease carried by mammals and has been in the wild animal population on the Peninsula since the mid-1980s. The local office of Environmental Health Services will be contacting immediate neighbors as well as any civic or homeowner’s association that serves the community.
The district reminds 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.
