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Health district reports rabid raccoon in Settlers Mill neighborhood
Officials ask residents to report possible contact with the animal found on Mill Stream Way.
The Peninsula Health District is asking Williamsburg and James City County residents to report possible exposure to a raccoon found in the 200 block of Mill Stream Way in the Settlers Mill neighborhood. The animal tested positive for rabies, the district announced October 30.
The notice identifies possible exposure as a bite, scratch, or saliva contacting an open wound or the eyes, nose or mouth. It also asks residents to report direct contact between a pet and the animal.
People with information about such contact should call the Williamsburg/James City County Environmental Health Office at 757-603-4277. The district directs after-hours reports to James City County Animal Control at 757-566-0221.
Officials said environmental health staff would contact immediate neighbors and any association serving the community. The announcement does not report a human case.
The health district’s notice urges residents to keep pets vaccinated, report bites and scratches to a doctor and the health department, and avoid feeding or approaching wildlife.
