Press Release: Practice Safe Animal Contact and Good Hand Hygiene
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Health Department Posted on September 21, 2026
Rowan County Public Health Reminds Residents to Practice Safe Animal Contact and Good Hand Hygiene During Fair Season
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Salisbury, NC- As fall fair, festival, and agricultural event season begins, Rowan County Public Health is encouraging residents to take precautions when visiting petting zoos, livestock exhibits, and other animal attractions, following confirmation by state health officials of multiple rabies cases in baby goats at a mobile petting zoo in North Carolina, some of which may have had direct contact with members of the public while infectious.
Petting zoos and animal exhibits provide valuable educational and recreational opportunities, but visitors should be aware close contact with animals can increase the risk of exposure to infectious diseases. While rabies transmission from livestock is uncommon, it can occur when saliva from an infected animal enters a person's eyes, nose, mouth, or broken skin. Rabies is almost always fatal once symptoms develop, but timely medical treatment following exposure is highly effective in preventing illness.
Rowan County Public Health recommends the following precautions when visiting petting zoos and animal exhibits:
- Wash hands thoroughly with soap and running water immediately after touching animals, animal feed, fencing, bedding, or other items in animal areas.
- Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer when soap and water are not immediately available but wash with soap and water as soon as possible.
- Avoid eating, drinking, or putting hands near your eyes, nose, or mouth while in animal areas.
- Closely supervise children and assist them with handwashing after animal contact.
- Do not handle animals that appear sick, injured, or behaving unusually.
Anyone who may have been bitten, scratched, or exposed to saliva from a potentially rabid animal should immediately wash the affected area thoroughly with soap and warm water for 15 minutes and contact a healthcare provider, Rowan County Animal Enforcement, 704-216-7768, or Rowan County Public Health, 704-216-8968. Do not wait for symptoms to appear before seeking guidance.
This press release has been prepared by the Rowan County Public Health Department through interdepartmental collaboration, with the purpose of informing the public about current or emerging public health matters. For more information, please contact the Public Information Officer (PIO).
DOWNLOAD: Practice Safe Animal Contact and Good Hand Hygiene
Contact:
Amy Smith
(704) 216-8859
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