The SC Department of Health and Environmental Control announced Saturday that it had chased down a rabid raccoon earlier this week after it had made its way around a northern Richland County neighborhood.

The raccoon, caught Wednesday, tested positive for rabies on April 16 after being found near Lowman Road and Johnson Marina Road in Chapin. Animals are euthanized when testing for the viral disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

It is believed that two dogs in the neighborhood had come in contact with — or were exposed to — the rabid raccoon. Exposure includes being bit, scratched or having contact with the saliva or body fluids of a rabid animal.

It is not yet known if any humans were exposed to the infected raccoon, but health officials are urging anyone who may have been in contact to seek medical attention — and to wash any parts of their body that may have touched the animal.

Health officials are also asking those who may have come in contact with the animal — or who have pets that did so — to call DHEC’s Environmental Affairs Columbia office at (803) 896-0620 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.