Middletown Reports 11th Case of Rabies

Another raccoon has tested positive for rabies, this time on Pate Drive, bringing the total of animals testing positive this year to 11. 

Pate Drive is located in a neighborhood behind the Route 35 shopping center at Harmony Road. It is the tenth raccoon to test positive for rabies. The other animal was a fox. 

Here are the other locations where they have been found within Middletown's 59 square miles: 

• Locust Point Road, which runs between Huber and Hartshorne Woods
• Pineridge Avenue, behind Cherry Tree Farm Road
• Walnut Avenue between Pine Street and Chestnut Street
• 900 Leonardville Road, Croydon Hall Complex
• Route 35 between Kanes Lane and Kings Highway East
• Red Hill Road between Dwight Road and Deepdale Drive
• Michael Drive off of Nutswamp Rd
• Ueland Road off of Nutswamp Road
• Essex Street off of Bray Ave
• Clay Court off of Hartshorne Road

The Middletown Health Dept. requests that anyone who comes across a sick or injured animal to keep distance and contact Animal Control at 732-615-2097 immediately, or contact the Police Department after hours and on weekends. 

"Remember, Rabies is a fatal disease," says an advisory by the Health Dept., led by Rich DeBenedetto, posted on the township website. "The best course of defense is the vaccination of your pets and not handling or interacting with wildlife."