Press Release

Raccoon trapped in New Hill Community in Mon Co. tests positive for rabies

Aug. 1, 2025

MORGANTOWN — A raccoon trapped in the New Hill Community off Route 7 near the Meadow Ponds development was confirmed positive for rabies on Thursday after biting an individual.
“Rabies is a high priority for Environmental Health,” said Jennifer Costolo-Michael, Monongalia County Health Departments Environmental Health Program Director. “Anytime there is an exposure, we take it very seriously.”
Area residents are urged to make sure their pets are up to date on their rabies vaccinations.
“We strongly recommend that all owners of pets confirm rabies vaccination in their animals,” said Dr. Brian Huggins, MCHD’s health officer. “If they are out of date, contact your vet to get them vaccinated as soon as possible.”
In West Virginia, it’s state law to have animals current on rabies vaccines. Pets that are unvaccinated or under-vaccinated are usually quarantined for a period of time after an encounter with a rabid animal, and in some cases euthanasia is necessary.
Rabies is a viral disease found only in mammals that attacks the brain and nervous system, ultimately causing death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Mammals, including people, can be infected via the saliva of a rabid animal through a bite or a scratch.
Early symptoms of rabies in people are similar to other illnesses, such as fever, headache and general weakness and discomfort. As the disease progresses, more specific symptoms include insomnia, anxiety, confusion, slight or partial paralysis, excitation, hallucinations, agitation, hypersalivation (an increase in saliva), difficulty swallowing and fear of water. Death usually occurs within days of the onset of these symptoms.
Dr. Huggins noted that residents in the area should be on alert for any mammals that are exhibiting atypical behavior, including foaming at the mouth and abnormal gait patterns.
“If a nocturnal animal is out during the daytime, that also can be a clue,” he said.
Monongalia County Health Department’s sanitarians will be out distributing flyers in the area on Friday, making sure that residents are aware of the situation and letting them know of steps they can take in order to keep their families and pets safe.
Area residents are urged to contact Monongalia County Health Department during business hours at 304-598-5131 to report an animal acting strangely. For emergencies after hours, the on-call number is 304-680-4357. Find more information on MCHD's website.
Other action items include making your home secure against vectors such as raccoons. This includes keeping lids tight on garbage and checking your home for any holes that or openings would allow unwanted animals to enter.
In 2019, Monongalia County reported about 20 cases of rabies. Because of the rising number, Monongalia County Health Department contacted the United State Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), which conducts rabies surveillance and also organizes the distribution of oral rabies vaccine (ORV) baits by fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters.
MCHD officials asked the USDA to move the ORV air distribution line east to include more of Monongalia County, and since then, incidents of rabies has been reduced dramatically.
Sanitarians will be distributing baits around Morgantown on Aug. 28 and 29, said Costolo-Michael.
“The airdrop that covers most of Monongalia County also takes place in August, because the USDA wants to wait until animals born in the spring are old enough to eat the baits and be inoculated,” she added. “We’ll also ask them to specifically target the area where this raccoon was found.”