RALEIGH, N.C. (NCN News) – State health authorities are sharing more details about recent cases of rabies in baby goats at a Iredell County based petting zoo. There are now reports of possible exposure at multiple locations from Watauga to Durham counties across the state.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services 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.