Second Rabies Case of 2019 Confirmed in Alamance County

BURLINGTON – On March 13, the North Carolina State Laboratory of Public Health in Raleigh confirmed Alamance County’s second case of rabies for the year.

On March 12, Alamance County Health Department was notified that a bat was found on the doorstep of a home on Overbrook Road in Burlington. Alamance County Animal Control sent the bat to the State Laboratory for Public Health for testing and the bat was positive for rabies. There was no human exposure to the bat. If you live in this area and have outside pets, the Health Department encourages you to examine them for any wounds that may have come from contact with this bat and notify Animal Control or the Health Department’s Environmental Health office at (336) 570-6367 if you have questions or concerns.

If you are bitten by any animal:
 Wash the wound with soap and running water for ten (10) minutes and seek medical attention immediately.
 Write down the location of the animal and a description of the animal to provide to animal control. If the animal is someone’s pet, also get the owner’s name and address. Give this information to animal control or the health department.
 Do not try to catch any wild or stray animal

Rabies vaccinations are available for dogs and cats at Tractor Supply, 3129 Garden Road in Burlington, every Saturday 4p-5:30p. The cost is $25. Rabies vaccinations are also available at Pet Supermarket, 2749 South Church Street in Burlington, every other Sunday 10a-11:30a. The next clinic is March 24. The cost is $15.

Last year, Alamance County had five confirmed animal cases of rabies.

For more information or questions about rabies control and vaccinations requirements, contact the Health Department’s Environmental Health office at (336) 570-6367.

Due to the partial federal government shutdown earlier this year, all Food and Nutrition Services (FNS / EBT) benefits for the month of March will be available by March 3.

Please note that this is not extra money. The Alamance County Social Services Department urges families to budget carefully in order to make sure that there is enough to last throughout the month of March. EBT benefits not spent will be available for up to twelve months.

For more information, please visit www.alamance-nc.com/dss/fns-ebt/ or call the Alamance County Social Services Department at 336-570-6532.

Alamance County households can apply for help covering the cost of heating their homes through Friday, March 29, 2019.

The federally funded Low-Income Energy Assistance Program provides eligible households with a one-time payment to their heating vendor to offset the high cost of heating during the cold weather months. Depending on the household’s primary heating source, the payment will be $200, $300 or $400.

Last year, the program provided approximately $32 million to help 128,160 households pay their heating bills from December 2017 through March 2018.
To be eligible, a person must:
• Have at least one U.S. citizen or non-citizen who meets eligibility criteria
• Have income equal to or less than 130 percent of the federal poverty limit, such as:
• For a household of one, an income of $15,782 or less
• For a family of four, an income of $32,630 or less
• Have resources, such as saving and checking accounts, cash on hand, at or below $2,250
• Be responsible for their heating cost

Alamance County households who want to apply for energy assistance can only do so in person at the Alamance County Department of Social Services office: 319 N Graham-Hopedale Road, Burlington, NC 27217.

For more information on the Low-Income Energy Assistance program, go to https://www.ncdhhs.gov/assistance/low-income-services/low-income-energy-assistance or call the Alamance County Social Services Office at 336-570-6532 from 8am-5pm.