PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Two raccoons, one in Johnston and one in Coventry, tested positive for rabies late last week, the Rhode Island Department of Health said Monday.

The Johnston raccoon came from the Green Earth Avenue area, and the Coventry raccoon came from the Plainfield Pike area, according to the health department.

Rhode Island has identified 48 rabid animals so far in 2026, well above the average of 25 a year from 2021 through 2025, the department said. Most were raccoons, bats and skunks, but a rabid cat, coyote and woodchuck have also been found this year.

Anyone who may have had direct contact with a raccoon in either area should call the health department's Center for Acute Infectious Disease Epidemiology at 401-222-2577 on weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., or 401-276-8046 after hours, so a nurse can decide whether treatment is needed, the department said. Pet owners who think their animal may have had contact with one of the raccoons should call the health department, their local animal control officer and their veterinarian.

Rabies attacks the central nervous system and is fatal if it is not treated before symptoms appear, according to the department. Treatment after an exposure has to start as soon as possible.

State law requires dogs, cats and ferrets to be vaccinated against rabies. The health department also advises people to keep away from wild and stray animals and not feed them, to avoid feeding pets outdoors, to keep dogs leashed or in fenced yards, to cover garbage cans securely, and to report all animal bites to their town's animal control officer.