Her son fed goats at a petting zoo. Now he has to get rabies shots.
A four-year-old boy in North Carolina is receiving rabies vaccinations after being exposed to infected goats at a petting zoo. Health officials are monitoring the situation as the disease is fatal once symptoms appear.
Why it matters
It highlights the public health risks associated with animal contact at public events and the critical importance of timely post-exposure medical intervention.
Last Friday, Rebecca Lanning got a shocking phone call: Her 4-year-old son had been exposed to rabies at a recent family outing. Thirteen days earlier, on Aug. 15, the family had visited a dinosaur exhibit in Mocksville, North Carolina. There were food trucks, carnival games and a petting zoo, where her son fed baby goats by hand. “I didn’t think anything of it until Friday, when his aunt called me and was like, ‘Hey, we have a situation,’” said Lanning, 30, of Marion. Lanning asked that her son not be named. Three baby goats at the petting zoo had tested positive for rabies, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services announced Friday. The goats, along with a fourth suspected of having the disease, had been euthanized.
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