A raccoon captured last week in Indiana Township tested positive for the rabies virus, the Allegheny County Health Department said Monday.
The raccoon had been spotted near the 200 block of Little Deer Creek Road.
It is the seventh rabid animal — and fifth raccoon — reported in Allegheny County in 2019. The other cases included a bat and a cat.
In 2018, the health department confirmed rabies cases in 25 animals: 12 raccoons, nine bats, two cats, one fox and one groundhog. Those numbers could change, however, as the county said some animals are later tested in state labs.
Residents are advised to avoid wild and stray animals to prevent exposure to rabies. If an animal is suspected of having rabies, residents should notify their local animal control service, the police or the Pennsylvania Game Commission.
Rabies is transmitted by an animal bite or scratch.
First Published: April 8, 2019, 3:10 p.m.
