Rabid Raccoon Confirmed in Orangeburg County; Three People and One Pet Exposed

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 15, 2026

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Department of Public Health (DPH) confirmed that a raccoon found near Savannah Highway and Hutto Road in Nesses, S.C., has tested positive for rabies. Three people were exposed and have been referred to their healthcare providers. One dog was exposed and will be quarantined as required in the South Carolina Rabies Control Act.

The raccoon was submitted to DPH's laboratory for testing June 10, 2026, and was confirmed to have rabies June 11, 2026. If you believe you, someone you know, or your pets have come in contact with this raccoon or another animal that potentially has rabies, please call DPH's Charleston office at (843) 953-4713 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, Rabies Program manager. “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.

This raccoon is the second animal in Orangeburg County to test positive for rabies in 2026. There have been 48 cases of rabid animals statewide this year. Since 2002, South Carolina has averaged approximately 136 positive cases a year. In 2025, none of the 101 confirmed rabies cases in South Carolina were in Orangeburg County.

Contact information for local Public Health offices is available at dph.sc.gov/RabiesContacts. For more information on rabies visit dph.sc.gov/rabies or cdc.gov/rabies.

###