On March 13, 2013 the Connecticut Department of Public Health Laboratory notified Fairfield Health Department that a raccoon collected in the Hill Farm Road area of Fairfield did test positive for rabies. The raccoon did come in contact with a household pet and that pet had an up-to-date rabies vaccination.  Because of this, the Fairfield Health Department is reminding residents to be alert for animals in local neighborhoods that appear to be suspicious.   Neighbors within a half mile of where the raccoon was collected have been notified via Code Red.  This area notified is more that 15 times the average range of a raccoon.

It is important to remember that any mammal can get rabies, whether wild or domesticated. In the United States, the most common wild animals that carry rabies are raccoons, skunks, bats, foxes, and coyotes.  However, cats, dogs, and cattle also are susceptible to the virus.