Rabies positive case identified in Bladen County

BLADEN COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — Bladen County Health Department was notified of a raccoon that tested positive for rabies. This is the first rabid animal identified in the county for 2025.

Animal Control Officers retrieved a deceased raccoon on 12/31/24 near the Sholar Road and Willard Tatum Road intersection in Elizabethtown, NC and sent for testing.

Rabies is transmitted by the bite of an infected animal or via contamination of open wounds or mucus membranes with potentially infectious material such as saliva. Any person bitten or exposed to potentially infectious saliva from this raccoon during early November should contact their healthcare provider or the local health department for a rabies risk assessment