West Virginia Health Officials Seeking Individual Who May Have Been Bitten By Rabid Raccoon

Franklin, WV – Health officials with the West Virginia Dept of Health and Human Resources are seeking the public’s help in locating a person driving through Pendleton County, WV who may have been bitten by a rabid raccoon on Sunday, March 4th while trying to remove the animal from the highway.

State Health Officer Dr. Marian Swinker says local authorities have interviewed a witness who said a Caucasian adult male accompanied by a female adult and child was stopped along US Route 220 holding an injured raccoon. The witness said the female adult stated that someone in the car had been bitten by the raccoon.

The group left the scene heading south on US Route 220 between Franklin, WV and Monterey, VA, leaving the raccoon behind. The witness took the animal, which later died, to a veterinary clinic for rabies testing. The raccoon tested positive for rabies on March 6th.

Dr. Swinker says rabies is serious and is most always fatal once clinical signs appear. If anyone knows of this person who may have been bitten, please contact the Pendleton County Health Dept at 304-358-7565 or the WV Bureau for Public Health at 304-558-5358. If you were the person who may have been bitten by a raccoon on Sunday, March 4th, 2012, please seek medical attention immediately and contact the Bureau for Public Health at 304-558-5358.