Second Rabid Raccoon Reported in Los Angeles County: What Residents Need to Know

Los Angeles County health authorities have reportedly identified a second raccoon that tested positive for rabies. The finding was reported by Outbreak News Today and CBS News. Available coverage provides limited information about the animal’s exact location, testing date, or any related human exposure.

A second positive raccoon does not mean every raccoon in the county carries rabies or establish a human outbreak. Residents should avoid contact with wild animals, keep pets vaccinated, report unusual wildlife behavior, and seek professional advice after a possible exposure.

What Is Known About the Second Raccoon

Available reports describe the animal as the county’s second reported rabies-positive raccoon during the relevant surveillance period. The reports do not establish its exact location, capture date, condition, behavior, or whether it was connected to the previously reported raccoon.

Residents should rely on official Los Angeles County health and animal control announcements for location-specific warnings and instructions.

How Rabies Spreads

Rabies is a viral infection that affects the central nervous system. It usually spreads through the saliva of an infected animal. Possible exposure includes:

• A bite that breaks the skin.
• A scratch contaminated with saliva.
• Saliva entering an open wound.
• Saliva contacting the eyes, mouth, or nose.
• Possible unnoticed contact with a bat, particularly while sleeping.

Rabies is preventable after prompt medical evaluation but is almost always fatal once symptoms begin. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends professional assessment after a credible exposure.

Seeing a raccoon, walking near one, or briefly touching intact fur generally does not constitute a typical exposure. Rabies is not generally spread by sharing air or space with an animal, or through contact with urine, feces, or blood alone.

What to Do After Contact With a Raccoon

1. Move away and keep children and pets away from the animal.
2. Do not corner, feed, chase, handle, or capture it.
3. Wash any bite or scratch with soap and running water immediately.
4. Contact a healthcare provider or public health agency promptly after a possible exposure.
5. Report the animal to local animal control or the appropriate public agency.

Seek urgent professional advice after any bite or scratch, saliva contact with broken skin or mucous membranes, or possible contact involving a child, sleeping person, or someone unable to describe what happened.

Do not wait for symptoms. Healthcare and public health professionals will assess the animal, the type of contact, whether the animal can be tested, and the exposed person’s circumstances. They may recommend post-exposure prophylaxis.

Protecting Dogs, Cats, and Other Pets

Keep dogs, cats, and other eligible pets current on rabies vaccinations. Contact a veterinarian if a pet’s vaccination status is unknown, expired, or overdue.

Reduce wildlife contact by:

• Keeping dogs leashed where required.
• Supervising pets outdoors.
• Bringing pet food and water indoors at night.
• Securing trash and compost containers.
• Removing fallen fruit.
• Blocking access to sheds, garages, crawl spaces, and other shelters.
• Preventing pets from investigating dead or abnormal wildlife.

After a pet is bitten, scratched, or exposed to saliva, contact a veterinarian and local animal control or public health officials. Do not release, abandon, or independently treat an exposed pet. Follow professional instructions about observation, testing, vaccination, quarantine, or other measures.

Recognizing Concerning Raccoon Behavior

Behavior alone cannot confirm rabies. Signs that may warrant a report include:

• Unprovoked aggression.
• Staggering or difficulty walking.
• Weakness or paralysis.
• Disorientation.
• Loss of normal fear of people.
• Excessive drooling.
• Difficulty swallowing.
• Unusual daytime activity combined with other abnormal signs.

Raccoons can naturally be active at night, so nighttime activity alone is not evidence of rabies. Do not approach an animal to assess or rescue it. Note its location from a safe distance and contact local authorities.

Rabies Risk in Los Angeles County

A positive wildlife test confirms that rabies is present in at least part of the local wildlife population. The appropriate response is caution, not panic:

• Avoid direct contact with wildlife.
• Keep pets vaccinated and supervised.
• Secure food, trash, and possible shelter.
• Report sick or unusually aggressive animals.
• Wash bites and scratches immediately.
• Seek medical advice after possible exposure.

The number of reported animals does not determine an individual’s risk. The key factors are direct contact, saliva exposure, the animal species, and whether the animal can be tested.

Bats Require Additional Caution

Available reporting also describes a rabies-positive bat in Pasadena. Source

Bat bites can be tiny and difficult to see. Contact a healthcare provider or public health agency after possible bat exposure, especially if a bat was found in a room with a sleeping person, young child, or someone unable to describe contact. Never touch a bat with bare hands.

Reducing Community Exposure

Secure trash, outdoor pet food, compost, and other food sources. Remove fallen fruit and inspect attics, garages, sheds, chimneys, and crawl spaces for openings. Do not seal an opening while an animal may still be inside. Seek professional help for bats, raccoons, or potentially ill wildlife.

Teach children never to touch, feed, chase, or rescue wild animals. They should move away and tell an adult if an animal behaves unusually.

Key Takeaways

• A second Los Angeles County raccoon has reportedly tested positive for rabies.
• The report does not mean all local raccoons are infected.
• Do not approach, feed, handle, or capture wild raccoons.
• Wash bites and scratches immediately with soap and running water.
• Seek prompt medical or public health guidance after possible exposure.
• Keep dog and cat rabies vaccinations current.
• Prevent pets from contacting wildlife.
• Treat possible bat exposure seriously, even when no bite is visible.
• Follow official Los Angeles County updates for location-specific information.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the report mean for residents?

It means available news coverage reports another raccoon that tested positive for rabies. It does not confirm a human outbreak or mean that every raccoon is infected.

What should I do after a raccoon bite or scratch?

Wash the wound immediately with soap and running water. Contact a healthcare provider or public health agency promptly and report the animal to local animal control. Do not wait for symptoms.

Can touching a raccoon’s fur cause rabies?

Casual contact with intact fur is not generally considered a typical exposure. Risk depends on whether saliva contacted broken skin, a bite or scratch occurred, or saliva entered the eyes, mouth, or nose. Seek professional advice when circumstances are uncertain.

What should I do if my pet encounters a raccoon?

Keep the pet away from the animal and avoid handling the wildlife. Contact a veterinarian and local animal control or public health officials. Confirm the pet’s vaccination status and follow professional instructions.

Can a rabid raccoon look normal?

Yes. Appearance alone cannot confirm infection. Some sick animals may show aggression, weakness, disorientation, paralysis, excessive drooling, or unusual fearlessness. Do not approach an animal to assess it.

Are bats also a rabies concern in Los Angeles County?

Yes. Available reporting describes a rabies-positive bat in Pasadena. Avoid touching bats and seek medical advice after possible contact, especially when a bat was found near a sleeping person, child, or someone unable to describe exposure.