THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Saturday, June 15, 1996               TAG: 9606150318
SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B3   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT 
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                    LENGTH:   21 lines

RACCOON IS 8TH RABIES CASE AT BEACH THIS YEAR

A raccoon killed this week by a pet dog in the Aragona neighborhood was confirmed Friday to have had rabies.

It marks the eighth confirmed case of rabies this year in Virginia Beach and continues a trend across the region. About 55 cases have been reported in Hampton Roads and the Eastern Shore this year.

In the most recent case, the dog was euthanized because its rabies vaccination expired last October. Under state law, an unvaccinated cat or dog has to be euthanized or kept in isolation for six months to be sure it does not develop the disease, which is fatal once established in humans.

The dog's owner chose to euthanize the animal.

The dog was in the back yard when it killed the raccoon.

KEYWORDS: RABIES by CNB