The latest count is up from 284, with preventive rabies treatment now recommended for 263 people connected to the petting zoo.
HARMONY, N.C. — Nearly 350 people have now been assessed in connection with possible rabies exposure from baby goats used by a North Carolina mobile petting zoo, according to a state health department spokesperson, expanding a public health response that began after three goats tested positive in late August.
The latest count represents a significant increase from earlier reports that 284 people had been evaluated by local health departments. Preventive treatment has now been recommended for 263 patients, according to a Sept. 9 report citing the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. Officials are continuing to identify people who may have had direct contact with the animals at Farm Adventures in Harmony or during mobile events held across the state.
State officials were first notified Aug. 27 of a possible rabies exposure involving four baby goats at Farm Adventures, according to NCDHHS. The North Carolina State Laboratory of Public Health confirmed rabies in three of the goats on Aug. 28. A fourth goat was not tested but was presumed infected based on the circumstances. Local and national reports said the four goats were euthanized.
Investigators believe the goats were most likely infected after a skunk entered their pen in late July. NCDHHS said information gathered during the investigation indicated that other animals at the farm did not pose a rabies exposure risk to people. The agency nevertheless warned that the affected baby goats could have been infectious while visitors held, fed, petted or otherwise interacted closely with them.
The possible exposure period stretches from July 28 through Aug. 27. During that time, the mobile petting zoo appeared at 10 known off-site events in several North Carolina counties. Public stops included Jurney’s Assisted Living in Statesville on July 28, a Community Connections Back-to-School Bash in Lexington on Aug. 1, Brookdale Peachtree in Statesville on Aug. 6 and the Masonic Picnic Grounds in Mocksville on Aug. 15. Private events were also held in Mecklenburg, Watauga, Burke, Durham and Iredell counties.
The number of people receiving evaluations has risen as health departments and event organizers work to reach families and other attendees. Earlier in the response, health officials reported that 284 people had undergone risk assessments and that post-exposure prophylaxis had been recommended for 213. By Tuesday, a state health department spokesperson said the number assessed had climbed to nearly 350 and treatment had been recommended for 263 patients.
Rabies spreads when saliva from an infected animal enters the body, usually through a bite or scratch or through contact with the eyes, nose, mouth or broken skin. State officials have stressed that being present at one of the events does not automatically mean a person was exposed. Mecklenburg County Public Health said there was not a broad danger to the general public and that the concern was focused on people who had close contact with the affected goats.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes rabies as a fatal but preventable viral disease that attacks the central nervous system. Post-exposure prophylaxis can include wound care, human rabies immune globulin and a series of rabies vaccine doses. The CDC says the treatment is nearly 100% effective when given after an exposure and before symptoms develop. Once clinical symptoms appear, rabies is nearly always fatal.
One Durham-area mother told Queen City News that more than 30 people who attended her daughter’s birthday party received rabies shots after learning goats at the gathering were linked to the outbreak. More than a dozen of those receiving treatment were children, she said. The woman, Tatiana Villatoro, said she learned about the rabies concern days after the event and described the news as deeply upsetting for her family and guests.
Farm Adventures has said publicly that a skunk entered the goats’ pen and that workers did not realize the animals had been bitten. Owner Misty Love previously described the loss of the goats as devastating in an interview reported by ABC News. The business has cooperated with the state investigation, according to earlier health department information. Recent reports said attempts to obtain additional comment from the operators were unsuccessful.
Human rabies remains extremely rare in the United States. NCDHHS said North Carolina has not reported a human rabies case since 2011. The agency reported that more than 4,000 animals in the state were tested for rabies in 2025 and about 6% were positive. Wildlife including skunks, raccoons, bats and foxes accounts for most rabies infections in animals, while transmission involving livestock is less common.
NCDHHS continues to identify potentially exposed people and has made an online risk-assessment tool available for those connected to Farm Adventures events during the July 28-Aug. 27 period. The department says people who had close contact with the affected goats should have their exposure risk evaluated by a local health department or medical provider. No human rabies infections linked to the goats had been reported as of Sept. 9.
Author note: Last updated September 9, 2026.