By NewsDesk  @infectiousdiseasenews

New Hampshire health officials are asking the public’s help locating a man from Massachusetts who came in contact with a baby raccoon, which later died from rabies in Conway, New Hampshire on Friday, September 20th.

Image/edbo23 via pixabay

This man is being sought to assess his risk for rabies and determine the need for treatment to prevent illness.

According to health officials, at approximately 5:00 p.m. on Friday, September 20th, an unidentified man stopped to assist a New Hampshire resident remove two baby raccoons from the roadway on the outskirts of Conway, New Hampshire on Route 16 / White Mountain Highway between North Bald Hill Road and Thorn Hill Road. This man was described as a man with medium build in his 30s, approximately 5’8” or 5’9”, with very short or shaved, light-colored hair. He had tattoos on his arms and was wearing a dark t-shirt and jeans. This gentleman was driving a large pickup truck with over-sized tires and Massachusetts license plates. The color of the truck could be black, dark blue or dark gray. This person is asked to call the New Hampshire Division of Public Health Services’ Bureau of Infectious Disease Control at (603) 271-4496.

“We would like this individual to contact us so that we can assess his risk for acquiring rabies while handling the baby raccoon and to help determine whether he might need treatment to prevent rabies,” said New Hampshire State Epidemiologist, Dr. Benjamin Chan. “Rabies is a fatal illness that is transmitted through direct contact with the saliva of an infected animal, but administering rabies vaccine and immune globulin after an exposure can prevent disease.”