Tag: rabies

Maryland boy recovering from surgeries after rabid beaver attack at state park

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A 13-year-old Maryland boy is reported to be recovering from multiple surgeries and nerve damage after being attacked by a rabid beaver. The teen, Dominick Cebula, was swimming at a popular spot in Cunningham Falls state park in Thurmont, Maryland, on 26 July when a beaver attacked his chest underwater, a relatively rare kind of encounter that more recently has been recurring, according to reporting from local news outlets. Speaking to the news outlet WUSA, Dominick’s father, Jeff Cebula, said: “He grabbed its head and a leg and he tried to get it off of him … At that point, he kind of felt that it was locked onto him.

And then it started shaking its head, kind of like a dog would do.” Jeff Cebula said his son pulled the beaver off his chest but as he backed away, the animal attacked again, biting him on the right hand, WUSA reported. Dominick fought off the beaver before being airlifted to Johns Hopkins hospital in Baltimore, where he underwent three surgeries on his chest and hands to repair nerve damage. He was also given a rabies post-exposure shot, with his father saying: “It’s not just one shot … It’s multiple shots around each bite site.” WUSA reported that the beaver was later confirmed to have rabies after being caught and euthanized. Multiple other beaver attacks have occurred in Maryland. On 5 August, a rabid beaver allegedly attacked the leg of a 19-year-old fisher at Cunningham Falls state park before being caught and euthanized. And a few days later, a 10-year-old girl endured a beaver attack while canoeing at Maryland’s Seneca Creek state park, CBS News reported.

On 6 August, the Maryland department of natural resources (DNR) announced that it was investigating a potential rabies outbreak in Cunningham Falls state park. Actions in response to that possible outbreak included “dismantling a nearby beaver lodge and establishing daily surveillance at the lake for other beavers using DNR staff and a wildlife damage control cooperator”. The Maryland DNR said its wildlife and heritage service would “institute night-time monitoring at the lake along with daytime surveillance to remove additional beavers, if any are present”. Although beavers are typically non-aggressive and avoid conflict with humans, people should still maintain a minimum safe viewing distance of 25 yards, the Maryland DNR advised.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reported that the agency from July through August had received 17% more rabies-related inquiries than during the same period in 2025 – including reports of mass exposure events that involve more than one person. Rabies is a zoonotic viral disease with a near 100% fatality rate once symptoms develop. However, it is preventable when post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) is administered appropriately. PEP consists of a series of shots given promptly after potential exposure to the rabies virus Lyssavirus rabies and before symptoms begin. Common symptoms of rabies include anxiety, insomnia, hydrophobia, hypersalivation, fever and headaches.

Source: Maryland boy recovering from surgeries after rabid beaver attack at state park | Maryland | The Guardian

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
John 3:17

Hunted for Following Jesus

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Berkeley officials sound alarm after 5 bats test positive for rabies

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Bat flying over a residential neighborhood beneath a cloudy dusk sky

Officials in the East Bay city of Berkeley have issued a warning to residents and doctors amid a rising number of bats that have tested positive for rabies. In a letter sent to the Berkeley City Council on Aug. 26, City Manager Paul Buddenhagen’s office said lab tests confirmed five rabies-positive bats were found. The bats were located in West and North Berkeley, both in residential and commercial areas.

“This represents an increase over the historical baseline of zero to two rabies-positive bats per year between 2020 and 2025,” said the city manager’s office. No human rabies cases have been identified in Berkeley, officials said. Separately, Alameda County health officials confirmed a rabies-positive cat in Pleasanton that tested positive on June 29. According to officials, rabies is a serious infection of the nervous system caused by the rabies virus. While rare, the disease is almost always fatal once symptoms appear.

The disease is almost entirely preventable if treated before symptoms begin. City officials offered several tips, including not touching or handling bats, keeping pets’ rabies vaccinations current and preventing bats from entering one’s home by sealing gaps and openings. If one is bitten or scratched by a mammal, officials urge residents to wash the wound with soap and water for 15 minutes and to seek medical attention.

Bites should be reported to the city’s Communicable Disease Prevention & Control Program (510) 981-5292 and Alameda County Vector Control at 510-567-6800. Officials also urged anyone who finds a bat indoors, dead or alive, not to release or dispose of the animal and to immediately contact vector control.

Source: Berkeley officials sound alarm after 5 bats test positive for rabies – CBS San Francisco

By humility and the fear of the LORD Are riches and honor and life.
Proverbs 22:4

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Rabies vaccine to be placed in bait in Harford County to immunize wild animals

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Raccoon baring its teeth in a defensive stance

The rabies vaccine is to be placed in a bait mixture throughout Harford County to attract wild animals in an effort to immunize them against the illness. The pilot project, known as the Oral Rabies Vaccination Program (ORV), will place over 15,000 bait containers across the county, the Harford County Health Department announced Monday in a statement. The main animals targeted are raccoons. The vaccine to be used, called Raboral V-RG, is a live virus vaccine.

But health officials say it cannot cause rabies and is not harmful to raccoons, pets, or other animals.  The same vaccine has been used successfully in Anne Arundel County, Maryland since 1998, as well as in other states in an effort to control rabies in raccoons, the health department statement said.  Vaccine not considered harmful to most humans While the vaccine is considered low risk to human health, it is advised that the bait should not be handled by anyone under 18 years old, or someone pregnant, immunocompromised, or who has a chronic skin condition.   Officials said the bait containers are made of fishmeal and polymers and come in two forms.

One is a small brown brick containing a packet of liquid rabies vaccine, while the other is a condiment-style packet coated with a waxy fishmeal attractant.  A raccoon must bite into the packet to be vaccinated. Ground teams in marked state vehicles will distribute the bait packets in likely raccoon habitats throughout Harford County parks and neighborhoods. “We are committed to keeping our community healthy, and the launch of this program marks an important step forward in preventing the spread of rabies and keeping Harford County residents and animals safe,” said Harford County Health Officer Lauren Levy.  

Rabies is spread by the bite or scratch of an infected animal, such as a raccoon, groundhog, cat, fox, skunk or bat. It is also spread when an infected animal’s saliva comes in contact with the eyes, nose, mouth or open cut of a person or another animal.  

Source: Rabies vaccine to be placed in bait in Harford County to immunize wild animals – CBS Baltimore

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.
Joshua 1:9

Plague in Russia?

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Rabid baby goats prompt North Carolina mobile petting zoo scare

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At least three baby goats belonging to a North Carolina petting zoo have tested positive for rabies, prompting state health officials to issue an urgent warning to those who visited the operation’s mobile menagerie since late July. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) said Sunday that tests Friday confirmed that the rabies virus was found in three baby goats. A fourth baby goat was not tested but was assumed to also have been infected, the agency said. The four infected baby goats were euthanized, according to ABC affiliate station WSOC in Charlotte, N.C.

North Carolina health officials said some baby goats from a mobile petting zoo operated by Farm Adventures in Harmony, North Carolina, tested positive for rabies and were euthanized, August 27. 2026 WSOC-TV The animals belonged to Farm Adventures in Harmony, North Carolina, and were part of a traveling petting zoo that made at least 10 stops in six counties since July 28, including one at an assisted living facility and another at a back-to-school event, NCDHHS said in their statement. “Impacted individuals should contact their local health department to determine whether medications are needed to prevent infection,” according to the statement. The goats were most likely exposed to rabies by a skunk that entered an enclosed pen where they were kept in late July, NCDHHS said.

Related Biting rabid beavers prompt partial closure of popular Maryland park The infected baby goats are believed to have been on display at events in Mecklenburg, Iredell, Watauga, Burke, Davie and Durham counties. “Public health officials are working with event organizers to notify attendees who might have had contact with the infected goats at these events,” state health officials said in the statement. An investigation into the rabid goats is continuing, and officials cautioned that “additional information about potential exposure locations at public events will be released when available.” No one has reported being infected by the rabid baby goats, officials said.

Human rabies infections are extremely rare in the United States and no human cases have been reported in North Carolina since 2011, the NCDHHS statement said. Fewer than 10 human deaths from rabies are reported each year in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). More than 90% of reported rabies cases are discovered in wildlife, most commonly including skunks, bats, raccoons and foxes, the CDC said. Misty Love, owner of Farm Adventures mobile petting zoo in North Carolina, is advising visitors to see a doctor after four of her baby goats tested positive for rabies. WSOC-TV “Anybody that knows me knows my animals are the most important thing in the world to me, so it’s hard,” Misty Love, owner of the Farm Adventures petting zoo, told WSOC. Love said it appears the skunk that infected her goats got into their cage through a hole in late July. “It’s devastating,” Love said.

“They were kept in an enclosed pen to prevent any wild animal contact.” Love said that several weeks after being exposed to the skunk, the infected baby goats began showing signs of illness. She said none of the other animals that are part of the traveling petting zoo have been infected and that they have all been given rabies booster shots. “For any parent that has any question, I highly recommend them to go get vaccinated,” Love said. Love’s petting zoo has been put on quarantine, health officials said. “It’s a nightmare,” Love said.

Source: Rabid baby goats prompt North Carolina mobile petting zoo scare – ABC News

Surely the righteous will never be shaken; they will be remembered forever.
Psalm 112:6

2 Timothy 3:12 

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Galatians 1:6-10

“When truth becomes negotiable, faith becomes vulnerable so know the Gospel, stand on God’s Word, and seek His approval above the world’s applause.” “I am astonished that…

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Authorities urge caution after dead bat tests positive for rabies in DeKalb County

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Hundreds of bats flying across a sunset sky above a mountain valley

Health authorities are asking residents in DeKalb County to watch their pets after a dead bat tested positive for rabies. Authorities say the bat was found in the area around Terry Mill Road and tested positive on Aug. 21. Georgia is a rabies-endemic state, which means the virus can be found in wildlife year-round. Officials say that means it’s important for residents to make sure their pets are up-to-date on their vaccinations and avoid animals that may be behaving in unusual ways. In July, a dead bat was found in the area near South DeKalb Columbia Drive and York Place around Stone Mountain, health officials say.

Other animals, such as raccoons, have tested positive in recent months. The National Association of State Health Veterinarians says all unvaccinated dogs and cats exposed to a rabid animal need to be quarantined for four months and vaccinated one month before being released. If you have been bitten or scratched by any stray animals or an animal suspected to have rabies, seek medical care immediately and let your provider know about the possible exposure. After that, contact GNR Public Health at (770) 339-4260 and ask for the on-call epidemiologist. To report an animal behaving in an unusual way or to report an animal bite, call DeKalb County Animal Control at (404) 294-2996, ext. 2, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, or (404) 294-2519 after hours.

Source: Authorities urge caution after dead bat tests positive for rabies in DeKalb County – CBS Atlanta

But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.
Ephesians 5:3

Isaiah 45:2

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Proverbs 21:23

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Bat found in Livingston County tests positive for rabies, health officials say

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Bat flying above forested mountains beneath a sunset sky

A bat found in Livingston County, Michigan, has tested positive for rabies, the local health department said on Thursday. Officials said the finding marks the first rabies case in an animal reported in the county this year. They have yet to disclose where in the region the bat was located.  Rabies is a deadly virus that spreads to people from the saliva of infected animals, according to the Mayo Clinic. It’s usually transmitted through a bite from a bat, coyote, fox, raccoon or skunk. Livingston County health officials say bat bites can be very small and people may be exposed to rabies even if they don’t see a bite or scratch.

According to health officials, exposure to rabies can also happen when a person touches a bat’s saliva or brain tissue or wakes up with one in their bedroom. Children, people with developmental disabilities and intoxicated individuals may also be considered exposed if they are in a room with a bat. Anyone in Livingston County who believes they’ve been exposed is asked to capture the bat, report the exposure by filling out a form on the health department’s website and call department staff at 517‑552‑6882 for testing guidance and next steps. Health officials say people can prevent rabies by keeping bats out of homes, vaccinating their pets and washing bites or scratches with soap and water before seeking medical help. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources says the state is home to nine species of bats.

Source: Bat found in Livingston County tests positive for rabies, health officials say – CBS Detroit

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
1 Corinthians 1:18

Psalm 5:8

Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me. In the verse David is praying in the morning while people who…

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Rabies alerts issued in Harford, Anne Arundel counties involving racoon, bat and fox

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Raccoon foraging beside dense vegetation in a suburban backyard

Health officials in Harford and Anne Arundel counties have issued new rabies alerts involving a racoon, a fox and a bat. The Harford County Health Department said Tuesday it had received confirmation from state health officials that two animals — a racoon and a fox — had tested positive for the rabies virus.  The rabid raccoon was found near the 200 block of Cooley Mill Road, in Havre de Grace, while the rabid fox was found near the 700 block of Walters Mill Road in Forest Hill, Maryland. The health department said the rabid animals may have exposed people or pets in surrounding areas.    

“Witnessing a raccoon, fox, or other wildlife is not cause for alarm,” the department said in a statement. “But if you or your pets have had contact with a raccoon or fox near the specified areas, please call the Harford County Health Department at 410-877-2300 for follow-up.” Anne Arundel bat alert In Anne Arundel County, an alert was issued by the health department seeking information about anyone who might have come in contact with an infected bat found outside Almondbury Drive in Pasadena. A statement said the bat was found August 9 and tested positive for rabies. The Arundel County Department of Health is urging anyone who might have come into contact with the bat to contact the department at 410-222-7254. Area residents who discover unexplained wounds on their pets should also reach out to report the injuries. 

Rabies is spread by the bite or scratch of an infected animal, such as a groundhog, cat, fox, raccoon, skunk or bat. It is also spread when an infected animal’s saliva comes in contact with the eyes, nose, mouth or open cut of a person or another animal. Latest warnings follow recent biting incidents Preventive treatment might be required for anyone who handled, fed or was attacked by the infected animal. Rabies is a fatal disease, and preventive treatment (injections) must be started as soon as possible. The latest reports of rabid animals follows an incident in July in which a beaver infected with rabies bit a 13-year-old boy at Cunningham Falls State Park in Maryland’s Frederick County.

The boy sustained injuries to his hands and chest and was flown to Johns Hopkins Hospital for treatment.   Then, earlier this month, a 19-year-old man was bitten on the leg while visiting Cunningham Falls State Park. 

Source: Rabies alerts issued in Harford, Anne Arundel counties involving racoon, bat and fox – CBS Baltimore

For who is God, except the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God?
Psalm 18:31

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Individuals exposed to rabid fox in Baltimore’s Roland Park

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portrait of a fox

Individuals were exposed to a fox that tested positive for rabies in Baltimore’s Roland Park on Tuesday, according to City Health Department officials.  Two foxes tested positive, and Animal Control believes five others in the area were part of the same den.  Health officials said one of the foxes was picked up near the intersection of Overhill Road and Meadow Lane. The second one was found near the 4400 block of Linkwood Road. Both areas border Stoney Run Park.  Another potential human exposure was reported on 4400 Linkwood Road. Health officials have canvassed the area where the foxes were captured.

“We take any rabies exposure seriously,” said Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Michelle Taylor. “If you have any information about the foxes in the area or believe you may have had contact with a fox, please contact the Baltimore City Health Department.”   Health officials recommend that neighbors living near Stoney Run Park check their pets for potential animal bites or suspicious wounds, and ensure pets are up to date on their rabies vaccinations, as the virus can be deadly if left untreated.  Anyone who handled the foxes in Roland Park is asked to call health officials at 10-396-4436 during normal business hours, or call the Baltimore City Operator at 410-396-3100 after business hours or on weekends.   This is not the first time a rabid animal has been found in Baltimore. In October 2025, a rabid raccoon was captured inside a Baltimore middle school after getting in through an open door.

Source: Individuals exposed to rabid fox in Baltimore’s Roland Park – CBS Baltimore

Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.
Colossians 4:5-6

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In a world filled with competing voices, confusing paths, and endless distractions, Jesus doesn’t simply show us the way He declares, ‘I am the way.’ When everything around you tries…

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Raccoon tests positive for rabies after attacking dog in metro Atlanta

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scared bristling raccoon

Gwinnett County officials are warning residents to use caution after a raccoon tested positive for rabies over the weekend. Officials say the raccoon attacked a dog near Biltmore Oaks Drive in the Bethlehem area on May 26. Testing revealed that the animal was infected with the potentially deadly virus. The disease, which can be transmitted through bites and scratches from infected animals, is almost always fatal in humans once symptoms occur. Those symptoms include muscle aches, fever, vomiting, and general weakness and discomfort. The National Association of State Health Veterinarians says all unvaccinated dogs and cats exposed to a rabid animal need to be quarantined for four months and vaccinated one month before being released.

Georgia is a rabies-endemic state, which means the virus can be found in wildlife year-round. Officials say that means it’s important for residents to make sure their pets are up-to-date on their vaccinations and avoid animals that may be behaving in unusual ways. Earlier in May, a DeKalb County raccoon tested positive for rabies. If you have been bitten or scratched by any stray animals or an animal suspected to have rabies, seek medial care immediately and let your provider know about the possible exposure. After that, contact GNR Public Health at (770) 339-4260 and ask for the on-call epidemiologist.

Source: Raccoon tests positive for rabies after attacking dog in metro Atlanta – CBS Atlanta

But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.
1 Peter 4:7

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Bat found in Irvine Regional Park tests positive for rabies

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fruit bat feeding upside down in jungle

The Orange County Healthcare Agency said a bat found in Irvine Regional Park has tested positive for rabies. Public health officials said the bat was found at the park at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, May 24. They urged anyone who may have physically contacted the bat or seen someone else touch it to call the Communicable Disease Control Division at (714) 834-8180. Pet owners who believe their animals may have had contact with the bat should contact their veterinarian.  The OC Healthcare Agency said the rabies virus is found in an infected animal’s saliva.

It can be transmitted to people if they are bitten by a rabid animal. Public health staff said rabies can also be transmitted through contamination of the eyes, mouth or an open wound by the infected animal’s saliva; however, these cases are very rare.  OC Healthcare officials said most cases of human rabies in the U.S. have stemmed from bats, which have very small teeth, meaning their bites may go unnoticed. 

Source: Bat found in Irvine Regional Park tests positive for rabies – CBS Los Angeles

No one is holy like the LORD, For there is none besides You, Nor is there any rock like our God.
1 Samuel 2:2

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