After a rabid raccoon was confirmed in Lexington County earlier this month, the South Carolina Department of Public Health shared safety guidance and said rabies is regularly found in wildlife, including in raccoons, skunks, foxes and bats, but pets are also susceptible to the virus. 

The raccoon was found in a neighborhood not far from River Bluff High School.

"No people are known to have been exposed at this time," an SCDPH release said. "One dog was exposed and will be quarantined as required in the South Carolina Rabies Control Act."

An exposure, according to the press release, is defined as “direct contact (broken skin, mucous membranes in the eyes, nose or mouth) with saliva or brain/nervous system tissue from an infected animal.” 

“Keeping your pets up to date on their rabies vaccination is the easiest way to protect you and your family from this deadly virus,” Terri McCollister, rabies program manager, said in the media release. “[G]ive wild and stray animals plenty of space.”

DPH said that if you believe you, someone you know or your pets have come in contact with the raccoon or another animal that potentially has rabies, call DPH's Columbia office at 803-896-4680 during normal business hours (8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday) or after hours and on holidays at 888-847-0902 (Select Option 2).