Animal health officials in North Carolina have confirmed that a horse in Polk County tested positive for rabies last week.

Michael Neault, DVM, director of North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA&CS) Livestock Programs, Veterinary Division, told The Horse Aug. 15 that the affected horse, a 25-year-old Haflinger, was unvaccinated.

The case was confirmed by Rollins Laboratory, said R. Douglas Meckes, DVM, state veterinarian with the NCDA&CS.

Rabies—a zoonotic disease that can be spread from animals to humans—is caused by a lyssavirus that affects the neurologic system and salivary glands. Horses are exposed most commonly through the bite of another rabid animal

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