A raccoon found near Swan Avenue and Swallow Drive has been confirmed rabid, marking the county's tenth case this year, according to the South Carolina Department of Public Health.
CHARLESTON, S.C. — The South Carolina Department of Public Health confirmed that a raccoon found near Swan Avenue and Swallow Drive in Charleston has tested positive for rabies.
No people are known to have been exposed, according to the department. One dog was exposed and will be quarantined under the South Carolina Rabies Control Act.
The raccoon was submitted for testing on Aug. 31, 2026, and confirmed positive on Sept. 1, according to the department.
Anyone who believes they, someone they know, or a pet came into contact with the raccoon or another animal that may have rabies is asked to call the department’s Charleston office at (843) 953-4713 during business hours, or (888) 847-0902, option 2, after hours and on holidays.
“Keeping your pets up to date on their rabies vaccination is the easiest way to protect you and your family from this deadly virus,” said Terri McCollister, the department’s Rabies Program manager. “Any mammal has the ability to carry and transmit the disease to people or pets. Therefore, give wild and stray animals plenty of space.”
The department said rabies in South Carolina is most commonly found in raccoons, skunks, foxes and bats, though pets are equally susceptible. Exposure is defined as direct contact with saliva or nervous system tissue from an infected animal through broken skin or mucous membranes.
This raccoon is the tenth animal to test positive for rabies in Charleston County in 2026, according to the department. Statewide, there have been 80 confirmed rabies cases this year. South Carolina has averaged about 136 positive cases annually since 2002, and Charleston County recorded eight of the state’s 101 confirmed cases in 2025.
Contact information for local public health offices is available at dph.sc.gov/RabiesContacts, and additional rabies information can be found at dph.sc.gov/rabies or cdc.gov/rabies.
Based on a release from S.C. Dept. of Public Health.
