Health officials warn of rabies after raccoon fights two dogs in a New Jersey town

A raccoon that got into a fight with two dogs in East Brunswick last week has tested positive for rabies, according to a release from the Middlesex County Office of Health Services.

The incident occurred on September 26 at a property near Frost Avenue and Kings Road. However, officials did not disclose exactly what happened or whether the dogs were seriously injured.

Officials said there was no human contact with the raccoon.

The altercation marks the fifth rabid animal reported in Middlesex County this year and the second in East Brunswick.

The raccoon from last week's incident was recovered by animal control and sent to the New Jersey Department of Health laboratory for examination, authorities said. On Tuesday, the county health department was notified that the raccoon tested positive for rabies.

Authorities continue to monitor additional cases in the community and ask residents to report wild animals exhibiting unusual behavior to East Brunswick police.

Rabies is an infectious disease that attacks the central nervous system. In the final stage, it travels from the brain to the salivary glands, making an animal contagious days before it dies.

It cannot be transmitted from one animal to another unless the skin is broken, and it is not airborne, but open wounds that come into contact with saliva are at risk.