FREEHOLD

– A miniature donkey housed on a Monmouth County farm could be responsible for up to 12 cases of rabies.

The Monmouth County Regional Health Commission said in a Thursday press release that the donkey, on an undisclosed private farm, was euthanized on Sept. 7 after being diagnosed with encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain tissue.

Subsequent tests revealed the donkey was infected with rabies, the Commission said.

As a result, 12 people exposed to the donkey’s saliva have begun to receive rabies vaccinations. Four of the exposed persons were friends of the family, visiting from out-of-state that fed the animal by hand days before it became ill.

The Health Commission told the Asbury Park Press it does not typically release the names of farms or towns where confirmed rabies cases are located.

So far this year, there have been 225 confirmed cases of rabies in animals statewide, but this is the first case involving a donkey.

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