Guilford County Confirms Fourteenth Case of Animal Rabies in 2026

A raccoon found on Kearn Street in Jamestown tested positive for the rabies virus on October 8, 2026, the fourteenth confirmed case in Guilford County this year, according to the Guilford County Health and Human Services Agency , Department of Public Health. I pulled the county’s press release to verify the details, and the alert specifically tells residents in the area to be aware of the risk.

What Public Health Officials Said

The county’s public health department issued the warning on the same day the test result came back, urging anyone who may have had contact with the raccoon to seek medical attention. Rabies is almost always fatal once symptoms appear, so the department stresses that any potential exposure, even a scratch or contact with saliva, should be reported immediately.

Guilford County has now confirmed rabies in a range of wild animals this year, with raccoons being the most common carrier in North Carolina. State health data consistently shows raccoons, bats, and foxes as the primary reservoirs of rabies in the region.

What This Means for Jamestown Homeowners

If you live near Kearn Street or anywhere in Guilford County, keep your distance from any wildlife acting strangely, especially raccoons that appear disoriented, aggressive, or active during daylight hours. Rabies is transmitted through bites and scratches, so do not attempt to handle or trap a suspicious animal yourself, call the county’s animal control or public health office instead.

Because raccoons also carry raccoon roundworm, their droppings pose a separate health risk, so I checked our guide on whether raccoons are dangerous to humans, which covers both rabies and other diseases. If you need to discourage them from returning to your yard, a look at the best animal repellents that actually work can help you handle the problem safely.

The Guilford County Health and Human Services Agency confirmed the case in its press release and continues to track rabies activity across the county.

The notice is published by Guilford County NC press releases at www.guilfordcountync.gov.