North Carolina - NCDHHS confirms rabies at mobile petting zoo

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August 29, 2026

NCDHHS Confirms Rabies at Mobile Petting Zoo​

NCDHHS has confirmed several baby goats at the Farm Adventures mobile petting zoo had rabies. People may have touched or held these goats while the animals were infected.

If you had contact with the baby goats from Farm Adventures between July 28 and Aug. 27, 2026, call your local health department right away. Call before you go in for care. Staff will talk with you about your risk. They will tell you if you need medicine to stop rabies before it starts. If you do need medicine, they will tell you where to go.

Rabies Information for Health Care Providers | Division of Public Health

www.dph.ncdhhs.gov

Where Rabies Exposure May Have Happened​

The goats were at the main Farm Adventures site in Harmony, North Carolina, and at several off-site events in different counties.

Many of these events included children and older adults. Event organizers are being notified.

Known potential exposure dates and locations​

County	Location and Date
Burke County	Private event, Hickory Aug. 9
Davidson County	Community Connections Back-to-School Bash Breeden Amphitheater, 333 S. Main St., Lexington Aug. 1 More information: Davidson County news release
Davie County	Masonic Picnic Grounds (community event) 201 Poplar St., Mocksville Aug. 15 More information: Davie County news release
Durham County	Private event, Durham Aug. 23 Private event, Durham Aug. 16
Iredell County	Private event, Statesville Aug. 22 Brookdale Peachtree (assisted living) 2806 Peachtree Road, Statesville Aug. 6 Jurney’s Assisted Living 1942 Van Haven Drive, Statesville July 28
Mecklenburg County	Private event, Charlotte July 30
Watauga County	Private event, Boone Aug. 8

NCDHHS and the NC Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services were first notified Aug. 27. Officials are still gathering details and will share more information as it is reported and verified.

Why Rabies Is Serious​

Rabies is a deadly virus. It spreads when an infected animal bites someone. It can also spread if saliva from a sick animal gets into a person’s eyes, nose, mouth or broken skin.

Wild animals are the most common source. Livestock can also spread rabies, but this is less common.

Baby goats are often bottle-fed, carried and cuddled. Because people have close contact with them, public health officials want to make sure anyone who touched the sick goats gets checked.

A skunk was seen in the goat pen in late July. In North Carolina, about 60% of skunks tested for rabies have the disease. Because of this, the goats were likely exposed to a high-risk source.

Symptoms of Rabies​

Symptoms can start weeks or months after contact. Early symptoms feel like the flu. A person may feel weak, have a fever or get a headache. They may also feel tingling or itching in the spot where they were bitten or touched saliva.

Rabies is almost always fatal unless people get treatment before symptoms start.

Human rabies is very rare in the United States. North Carolina has not had a human case since 2011.

Rabies in NC Animals​

In 2025, more than 4,000 animals in NC were tested for rabies. About 6% were positive. Rabies is most common in wild animals such as skunks, raccoons, bats and foxes.

Learn more: NCDHHS rabies webpage

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Related press releases:

• NCDHHS Shares New Details About Rabies at Mobile Petting Zoo
• NCDHHS Confirms Rabies at Mobile Petting Zoo

Related Topics:​

• Epidemiology
• Families

• Vaccines and Vaccine-Preventable Diseases

NCDHHS Confirms Rabies at Mobile Petting Zoo

NCDHHS has confirmed several baby goats at the Farm Adventures mobile petting zoo had rabies. People may have touched or held these goats while the animals…

www.dph.ncdhhs.gov

 

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Saturday, August 29, 2026

NCDHHS Shares New Details About Rabies at Mobile Petting Zoo​

PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is sharing additional exposure details related to recent rabies cases in baby goats at a mobile petting zoo located in Iredell County.

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RALEIGH

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is sharing additional exposure details related to recent rabies cases in baby goats at a mobile petting zoo located in Iredell County.

NCDHHS and the NC Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services were first notified of a potential rabies exposure among four baby goats at Farm Adventures in Harmony, North Carolina on August 27. The goats were most likely exposed to rabies by a skunk that had entered the pen where they were kept in late July. The NC State Laboratory of Public Health confirmed rabies virus in three of the baby goats on August 28; a fourth goat was not tested but is also assumed to have been infected. Since then, NCDHHS and NCDA&CS officials have been working with the farm and impacted local health departments to gather information about potential exposure dates and locations. Based on information gathered on August 28, it was determined that no other animals on the farm pose a risk of rabies exposure to people.

Anyone who had contact with baby goats from the Farm Adventures mobile petting zoo either at their location in Harmony, North Carolina, or at an off-site event, between July 28 and Aug. 27, 2026, may have been exposed while the animals were infectious. Impacted individuals should contact their local health department to determine whether medications are needed to prevent infection. Individuals are encouraged to call before visiting an emergency department or urgent care clinic to determine if treatment is needed and where it can be accessed.

Known potential exposure dates and locations include:

• July 28: Jurney's Assisted Living, 1942 Van Haven Drive, Statesville in Iredell County
• July 30: Private event in Mecklenburg County
• Aug. 1: Community Connections Back-to-School Bash, Breeden Amphitheater, 333 S. Main St., Lexington in Davidson County
• Aug. 6: Brookdale Peachtree, 2806 Peachtree Road, Statesville in Iredell County
• Aug. 8: Private event in Watauga County
• Aug. 9: Private event in Burke County
• Aug. 15: Masonic Picnic Grounds, 201 Poplar St., Mocksville in Davie County
• Aug. 16: Private event in Durham County
• Aug. 22: Private event in Iredell County
• Aug. 23: Private event in Durham County

Public health officials are working with event organizers to notify attendees who might have had contact with the infected goats at these events. This investigation is ongoing and additional information about potential exposure locations at public events will be released when available.

Rabies is a deadly disease that can spread from wild animals to pets and people, primarily through a bite, scratch or when infected saliva touches broken skin or mucous membranes. While rabies transmission from livestock carries a lower risk than bites from wild animals, it is still possible that people could have been exposed to the virus through saliva from an infected animal. Because baby goats are frequently bottle-fed, handled closely, or cuddled, public health officials are working proactively to ensure anyone who had direct contact with the affected animals is evaluated.

Human rabies infections are extremely rare in the United States. No human cases have been reported in North Carolina since 2011.

Rabies is almost always fatal in mammals, including people, unless medications to prevent infections are given before symptoms develop. Symptoms can begin weeks to months after someone is exposed. Early symptoms are flu-like illness including weakness, fever or headache as well as a prickling or itching sensation where someone was bitten or exposed.

For more information, please visit the NCDHHS rabies page.



El Departamento de Salud y Servicios Humanos de Carolina del Norte está compartiendo detalles adicionales de exposición relacionados con casos recientes de rabia en cabritos en un zoológico de mascotas móvil ubicado en el condado de Iredell.

El Departamento de Salud y Servicios Humanos de Carolina del Norte (NCDHHS, por sus siglas en inglés) y el Departamento de Agricultura y Servicios al Consumidor de Carolina del Norte fueron notificados por primera vez de una posible exposición a la rabia entre cuatro cabritos en Farm Adventures en Harmony, Carolina del Norte, el 27 de agosto. Lo más probable es que las cabras estuvieran expuestas a la rabia por un zorrillo que había entrado en el corral donde se guardaban a fines de julio. El Laboratorio Estatal de Salud Pública de Carolina del Norte confirmó el virus de la rabia en tres de los cabritos el 28 de agosto; una cuarta cabra no fue probada, pero también se asume que ha sido infectada. Desde entonces, los funcionarios del NCDHHS y el Departamento de Agricultura y Servicios al Consumidor de Carolina del Norte han estado trabajando con la granja y los departamentos de salud locales que han sido impactados para recopilar información sobre posibles fechas y ubicaciones de exposición. Con base en la información recopilada el 28 de agosto, se determinó que ningún otro animal en la granja representa un riesgo de exposición a la rabia para las personas.

Cualquier persona que haya tenido contacto con cabritos del zoológico de mascotas móvil Farm Adventures, ya sea en su ubicación en Harmony, Carolina del Norte, o en un evento fuera del sitio, entre el 28 de julio y el 27 de agosto. de 2026, pueden haber estado expuestos mientras los animales eran infecciosos. Las personas afectadas deben ponerse en contacto con su departamento de salud local para determinar si se necesitan medicamentos para prevenir la infección. Se recomienda a las personas que llamen antes de visitar un departamento de emergencias o una clínica de atención de urgencia para determinar si se necesita tratamiento y dónde se puede acceder a él.

Las fechas y ubicaciones potenciales de exposición conocidas incluyen:

• 28 de julio: Jurney's Assisted Living, 1942 Van Haven Drive, Statesville, en el condado de Iredell.
• 30 de julio: Evento privado en el condado de Mecklenburg.
• 1 de agosto: Community Connections Back-to-School Bash, Breeden Amphitheater, 333 S. Main St., Lexington, en el condado de Davidson.
• 6 de agosto: Brookdale Peachtree, 2806 Peachtree Road, Statesville, en el condado de Iredell.
• 8 de agosto: Evento privado en el condado de Watauga.
• 9 de agosto: Evento privado en el condado de Burke.
• 15 de agosto: Masonic Picnic Grounds, 201 Poplar St., Mocksville, en el condado de Davie.
• 16 de agosto: Evento privado en el condado de Durham.
• 22 de agosto: Evento privado en el condado de Iredell.
• 23 de agosto: Evento privado en el condado de Durham.

Los funcionarios de salud pública están trabajando con los organizadores de los eventos para notificar a los que asistieron que podrían haber tenido contacto con las cabras infectadas en estos eventos. Esta investigación está en curso y se dará a conocer información adicional sobre posibles lugares de exposición en eventos públicos cuando esté disponible.

La rabia es una enfermedad mortal que puede propagarse de animales salvajes a mascotas y personas, principalmente a través de una mordedura, un rasguño o cuando la saliva infectada toca la piel o las membranas mucosas rotas. Si bien la transmisión de la rabia del ganado conlleva un riesgo menor que las mordeduras de animales salvajes, aún es posible que las personas hayan estado expuestas al virus a través de la saliva de un animal infectado. Debido a que los cabritos con frecuencia son alimentados con biberón, manipuladas de cerca o abrazadas, los funcionarios de salud pública están trabajando de manera proactiva para garantizar que se evalúe a cualquier persona que haya tenido contacto directo con los animales afectados.

Las infecciones de rabia humana son extremadamente raras en los Estados Unidos. No se han reportado casos humanos en Carolina del Norte desde 2011.

La rabia casi siempre es mortal en los mamíferos, incluidas las personas, a menos que se administren medicamentos para prevenir infecciones antes de que se desarrollen los síntomas. Los síntomas pueden comenzar semanas o meses después de que alguien esté expuesto. Los primeros síntomas son enfermedades similares a la gripe, como debilidad, fiebre o dolor de cabeza, así como una sensación de cosquilleo o picazón donde alguien fue mordido o expuesto.

Para obtener más información, visite la página web sobre la rabia del Departamento de Salud y Servicios Humanos de Carolina del Norte (NCDHHS, por sus siglas en inglés).

NCDHHS Shares New Details About Rabies at Mobile Petting Zoo

PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is sharing additional exposure details related to recent rabies cases in baby goats…

www.ncdhhs.gov