A dead raccoon with porcupine quills embedded in it has tested positive for rabies, according to Department of Public Health officials who are urging residents to seek medical care if they handled the animal.
The dead rabid raccoon was found on Smith Lane in Eastham on Nov. 17, DPH reported. The raccoon is easily identified because of the large number of porcupine quills embedded in it.
“Anyone who may have interacted with this racoon should immediately reach out to DPH or the Eastham Department of Health and Environment to ensure their health and safety,” State Epidemiologist Catherine Brown said in a statement.
“Given the fatal nature of rabies, we want to be sure that any affected residents have access to post-exposure prophylaxis to protect themselves,” Brown added.
The raccoon was collected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Cape Cod Rabies Program and submitted to the CDC for testing. The animal was reported to be positive for rabies on Wednesday.
Rabies is a fatal but preventable disease caused by a virus. The virus is carried in the saliva of infected animals, and can be spread to people and other animals through a bite, or when saliva is introduced into an open wound or the eyes, nose or mouth.
Following an exposure, people should receive medical care consisting of wound care and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) to prevent development of disease.
PEP consists of a dose of rabies immune globulin, and a series of four or five rabies vaccines over a two-week period. PEP is highly effective at preventing disease when it is administered promptly following an exposure.
The animals that are most likely to be found infected with rabies in Massachusetts are raccoons, bats, skunks, foxes and woodchucks (groundhogs). Cats are the domestic animal most frequently found to be rabid due to lower vaccination rates as compared to dogs.
Some of the ways that you can help protect yourself, your loved ones and your pets include:
DPH is asking that anyone who had contact with the rabid raccoon to contact its Division of Epidemiology at 617-983-6800 – available 24/7 – for a risk assessment to determine if an exposure to rabies virus occurred.