Guilford County confirms 10th animal rabies case, warns pet owners

A skunk found on Haw River Road in Kernersville tested positive for rabies on June 23, and Guilford County said the result was its 10th confirmed animal rabies case of 2026. The case lands in a county where wildlife rabies has remained active all year, from Gibsonville to Greensboro, and officials are again warning pet owners to keep vaccinations current and stay away from wild animals.

The county’s first confirmed animal rabies case of 2026 was a cat on Apple Wyrick Road in Gibsonville on Jan. 5. By March 24, a raccoon on Nathanael Greene Drive in Greensboro had tested positive, and the county said that was already the eighth confirmed animal rabies case of the year. Guilford County had also recorded eight confirmed cases in all of 2025 by Dec. 2, when a raccoon on Arden Place in Greensboro tested positive, showing that the problem did not disappear with the calendar.

Public health officials used the latest skunk case to push familiar but urgent advice: do not touch, rescue or treat wild animals, whether they are alive or dead, and avoid any animal that acts strangely. The county said people should treat any wildlife encounter as a potential exposure risk, especially in neighborhoods, parks and greenways where pets and wildlife can cross paths.

State law requires cats, dogs and ferrets that are more than four months old to be vaccinated against rabies, and Guilford County said that includes animals kept outdoors in fenced areas. North Carolina says there are no legal waivers or exemptions to that rule, and vaccinations must stay current. That matters because a missed shot can force a household into costly follow-up care, quarantine concerns and vet visits if a bite or scratch turns into a reportable exposure.

If a person is bitten, the county says to wash the wound immediately with soap and water, seek medical care right away and report the bite. For a sick or injured animal, Guilford County directs residents to Animal Control at 336-641-5990, with office hours Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Guilford County Animal Services also lists 336-641-3400 as a general contact line, and the county says quick reporting can make the difference between a routine response and a wider public health problem.

The 10th case of the year underscores that rabies is still circulating in Guilford County’s wildlife population, not sitting as a one-off event. For households with pets and for anyone spending time outdoors, the risk rises fast once an animal contact is ignored.