State confirms rabid raccoon found in N.J. neighborhood

The New Jersey Department of Health and Human Services confirmed that a raccoon removed from a neighborhood in Gloucester Township last week had rabies, Camden County Officials said Wednesday afternoon.

A resident in Gloucester Township reported the raccoon to authorities on April 25 after the person’s dog encountered the animal, officials said.

The Township’s animal control officer was able to remove the raccoon and send it to the state’s Public Health and Environmental Laboratories in Trenton for testing, county authorities said. The lab confirmed this week that the raccoon was rabid, officials said.

No human exposures were reported but the dog was given a rabies booster and will be under a strict four-month quarantine, according to authorities.

Health bulletins were distributed in the area where the raccoon was discovered, officials said.

“Although rabies is a serious illness, it can be prevented by early treatment,” Commissioner Virginia Betteridge, liaison to the Camden County Health Department said. “If you have been bitten or scratched by a wild animal it is important that you seek immediate medical attention.”