Rabid Raccoon, Bat Found in Middlesex County This Week

New Brunswick, NJ - Two new animals tested positive for rabies in Middlesex County, one in New Brunswick and one in Plainsboro, the Middlesex County Office of Health Services reported late Thursday, bringing the count of rabid animals up to now 20 for Middlesex County in 2016.

Last Saturday, someone called New Brunswick Animal Control to report a raccoon acting strangely in the vicinity of Laurel Place and Somerset Street. The raccoon was sent to the New Jersey State Department of Health Laboratory for testing. It was reported on Wednesday that the animal tested positive for rabies. There are no known human or animal exposures to the raccoon.

Then on Monday, a Plainsboro Animal Control officer responded to a call concerning a bat which was found in a residence in the vicinity of Thoreau Drive and Tennyson Drive. The bat was also sent to the state lab and the results came back positive on Wednesday for rabies. There was one person who was exposed to the bat and they were notified by the Middlesex County Office of Health Services to speak to their physician regarding their exposure.