Nash County Confirms Rabies-Positive Raccoon in Nashville

NASH COUNTY, N.C. — The Nash County Health Department is alerting the public after a raccoon captured near East Washington Street and Eastern Avenue in Nashville tested positive for rabies. Nash County Animal Services captured the raccoon after receiving a report that the animal was behaving erratically. The raccoon was sent to the North Carolina State Laboratory of Public Health, where testing confirmed that it was infected with rabies.

The animal was described as a gray and black adult raccoon, weighing approximately 30-40 pounds. Anyone who may have had direct contact with a raccoon matching this description in the East Washington Street and Eastern Avenue area between June 25 and July 10, 2026, should immediately call the Nash County Health Department’s Communicable Disease Control line at 252-382-0904. 

Direct contact may include being bitten or scratched or having the animal’s saliva come into contact with broken skin, an open wound, the eyes, nose or mouth. A Nash County public health nurse can assess residents’ potential exposure and determine whether rabies post-exposure treatment is recommended.

“Residents should contact Nash County Health Department if they have any questions or concerns about possible exposure,” said Nash County Health Director Angela Manning. “Residents may call the Communicable Disease Control line at 252-382-0904 if outside normal business hours or on the weekend."

To prevent possible rabies exposure, residents are encouraged to take the following precautions: 

• Do not approach, touch, feed or attempt to capture wild animals. 

• Teach children to stay away from wild, stray or unfamiliar animals. 

• Keep family pets current on their rabies vaccinations, as required by North Carolina law. 

• Secure garbage containers and avoid leaving pet food outdoors. 

• Report an animal behaving unusually to Nash County Animal Control at 252-459 9855.