FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Sept. 6, 2023

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) confirmed that two raccoons from two different counties have tested positive for rabies.

• A raccoon found near Wade Hampton Drive and Robert E Lee Boulevard in Charleston, S.C., has tested positive for rabies. One person was exposed and has been referred to their health care provider.   
• A second raccoon found near Denny Highway and Joe Black Road in Prosperity, S.C., has also tested positive for rabies. No people are known to have been exposed at this time. One dog was exposed and will be quarantined as required in the South Carolina Rabies Control Act.

Both the Charleston County and Saluda County raccoons were submitted to DHEC’s laboratory on September 2, 2023, and were confirmed to have rabies on September 5, 2023.

If you believe you, someone you know or your pets have come in contact with either the Charleston County or Saluda County raccoon, or another animal that potentially has rabies, please call DHEC's Environmental Affairs Charleston office at (843) 953-0150 or Aiken office at (803) 642-1637 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).

“Keeping your pets up to date on their rabies vaccination is the easiest way to protect you and your family from this deadly virus,” said Terri McCollister, DHEC's Rabies Program team leader. “Any mammal has the ability to carry and transmit the disease to people or pets. Therefore, give wild and stray animals plenty of space.”

In South Carolina, rabies is most often found in wildlife such as raccoons, skunks, foxes, and bats, but pets are just as susceptible to the virus. If you see an animal in need, avoid touching it. Contact someone trained in handling animals, such as your local animal control officer, wildlife control officer, or a wildlife rehabilitator. An exposure is defined as direct contact (such as through broken skin or mucous membranes in the eyes, nose or mouth) with saliva or brain/nervous system tissue from an infected animal.

In 2023, the Charleston County raccoon is the fifth  animal to test positive for rabies in that county, and the Saluda County raccoon is the first animal in that county to test positive for rabies. There have been 56 cases of rabid animals statewide this year. Since 2002, South Carolina has averaged approximately 148 positive cases a year. Of the 83 confirmed rabies cases in South Carolina in 2022, three were in Charleston County, and three were in Saluda County.

###