Nearly 300 people may have been exposed to rabies from goats at a petting zoo

Three goats tested positive for rabies after a North Carolina petting zoo tour. Nearly 300 people were evaluated and more than 200 were advised to get vaccines. /Gray News) — Hundreds of people in North Carolina may have been exposed to rabies after interacting with goats at a mobile petting zoo. The North Carolina State Laboratory of Public Health said three baby goats at the petting zoo tested positive for rabies. A fourth goat was not tested but was presumed to also have rabies. All four goats were euthanized.nearly 300 people have been evaluated for possible rabies exposure after interacting with the goats. More than 200 of those people have been advised to get rabies vaccines. State health officials believe the goats were exposed to rabies by a skunk that entered their pen in late July. Based on preliminary information, no other animals on the farm are believed to pose a risk of exposure to the public. In a statement posted to social media, Farm Adventures explained that the baby goats were too young to receive the rabies vaccine. While the operators knew a wild skunk had managed to get into the goats' pen, they did not realize any of the goats had been bitten. One woman who has gotten rabies vaccinations after interacting with the goats questioned the operators' decision to bring unvaccinated animals to public events. 'I think my thing is that if I were in their shoes and I had these animals that couldn't be vaccinated, would I risk taking those out in public before they could be vaccinated? ', rabies is transmitted through bites, scratches or contact with infected saliva. Human cases are exceptionally rare in the United States, with no cases reported in North Carolina since 2011. Rabies is almost always fatal if not treated before symptoms begin. Rabies vaccinations are considered 100% effective at preventing infection if started promptly after exposure. No additional jail time for Baldwin postal worker who had hundreds of letters in home, judge rulesMobile police investigate weekend shooting that injured one personAll 5 killed in Miami cargo jet crash were in a cleaning crew van