Iredell County Health Department

09/04/2026

Spending Labor Day weekend by the water? Take a look before anyone, including the four-legged members of the family, jumps in. 👀🌊

Bright green, blue, discolored, or scummy water could signal an algal bloom. You can’t tell by looking whether a bloom is harmful, so this is one of those times when guessing isn’t worth it.

When in doubt, stay out.

👧 Keep children away from suspicious-looking water.
🐕 Keep pets out, and don’t let them drink from it.
🚿 If contact happens, wash skin thoroughly and rinse pets with clean water.

If a child becomes ill after contact, seek medical care immediately.
If a pet stumbles, staggers, or collapses, seek veterinary care immediately.

See something suspicious? Take a clear photo from a safe distance, note the exact location, and report it to NCDEQ.

🔎 Learn more: https://algae.nc.gov
📍 Report a bloom or fish kill: https://tinyurl.com/NCReportAB

Federal funding disclosure: https://tinyurl.com/ICHDStevens2627

09/03/2026

Mooresville, Bentley has pulled up! 👋

Our Mobile Health Unit is at Mt. Moriah Church today, making it easier to take care of your health close to home.

📍 608 Brookwood St., Mooresville NC, 28115
⏰ 10:00 AM to 3:30 PM

Stop by for no-cost blood pressure screenings, STI Express screening, or a car seat safety check. We’re also offering low-cost child and adult immunizations, walk-in labs, and pregnancy testing and counseling.

Walk-ins are encouraged, and no appointment is needed. Just come see us before 3:30 PM! 💙

Learn more: https://tinyurl.com/HDMHUnit

Federal funding information: https://tinyurl.com/ICHDStevens2627

09/02/2026

⚠️ A bite isn’t the only way rabies can spread.
Rabies spreads through saliva, so contact can matter even if no one was bitten.

If you or someone you care for had contact with baby goats from Farm Adventures Mobile Petting Zoo between July 28 and August 27, please call:

📞 704-878-3037 | Call anytime.

You don’t have to know if you’re at risk. We’ll ask what happened and guide you on what to do next.

📍 Outside Iredell County? Call your local health department.

📣 Please share this post to help it reach anyone who may have had contact with the baby goats.

Funding disclosure:
https://tinyurl.com/ICHDStevens2627

09/01/2026

🚨 We need your help reaching the right people.

Think back to any events you attended between July 28 and August 27, 2026. Was Farm Adventures Mobile Petting Zoo there?

Three baby goats associated with the Harmony-based mobile petting zoo have tested positive for rabies.

If you or a family member attended an event hosted by this petting zoo, call the Iredell County Health Department After-Hours Emergency Line at 704-878-3037.

We know a rabies notice sounds scary. Attending an event doesn't automatically mean you were exposed. The call allows public health staff to ask about your contact with the goats and determine whether rabies prophylaxis is recommended.

If the name sounds familiar, check your photos, event pages, or calendar.

📣 Please share this post to help it reach anyone who may have attended one of these events.

Funding disclosure: https://tinyurl.com/ICHDStevens2627

08/31/2026

NC Department of Health and Human Services has released potential exposure locations and dates related to recent rabies cases in baby goats at a mobile petting zoo located in Iredell County.
🔗: https://tinyurl.com/yrn6vy24

If you touched or handled the goats at any of these events between July 28 and August 27, contact the Iredell County Health Department.

Possible exposure dates/locations include:
-Statesville
-Lexington
-Mecklenburg
-Watauga
-Burke
-Davie
-Durham
-Iredell counties.

If you touched or handled the goats at any of these events, contact your local health department before visiting urgent care/ER to see if preventive treatment is needed.
Rabies is deadly but preventable.

More info here epi.dph.ncdhhs.gov/cd/diseases/rabies.html

08/30/2026

⚠️ Public Health Alert: Possible Rabies Exposures Linked to a Petting-Zoo Farm
Iredell County Health Department is working with state and local partners following confirmation of rabies in baby goats at a traveling petting-zoo farm homed in Harmony.
The farm has participated in public events and visits across multiple counties, including events involving children and older adults. Because rabies can be transmitted through the saliva of an infected animal, people who had close contact with the affected goats during the potential exposure events occurring between July 28, 2026, and August 27, 2026, may need a public-health risk assessment. If you believe you have had exposure, call the Iredell County Health Department After Hours Line at 704-878-3037.
For the full release, visit: https://tinyurl.com/48mbx4jh

08/30/2026

State officials have shared new information about potential rabies exposure linked to baby goats at a mobile petting zoo in Iredell County.

The goats were likely exposed in late July and may have been infectious at multiple public and private events through Aug 27. Anyone who had direct contact with these animals should call their local health department to learn whether preventive care is needed. Rabies is rare but serious, and early guidance can help protect your health while the investigation continues.

Read the full release here➡️ ncdhhs.gov/news/press-releases/2026/08/29/ncdhhs-shares-new-details-about-rabies-mobile-petting-zoo
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Las autoridades estatales han dado a conocer nueva información sobre una posible exposición a la rabia relacionada con crías de cabra de un zoológico interactivo móvil en el condado de Iredell.

Es probable que las cabras se hayan expuesto a finales de julio y que hayan podido transmitir la enfermedad en diversos eventos públicos y privados hasta el 27 de agosto. Cualquier persona que haya tenido contacto directo con estos animales debe comunicarse con su departamento de salud local para saber si requiere atención preventiva. La rabia es poco frecuente pero grave; recibir orientación a tiempo puede ayudar a proteger su salud mientras continúa la investigación.

Lea el comunicado completo aquí ➡️ ncdhhs.gov/news/press-releases/2026/08/29/ncdhhs-shares-new-details-about-rabies-mobile-petting-zoo

08/29/2026

08/27/2026

✨ Service Spotlight: Meet Brandi Anthony, LCSW!

Every Tuesday, Brandi Anthony from Kintegra Behavioral Health is right here at the Iredell County Health Department helping make mental health and substance use support a little easier to access.

Brandi is available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays in the Multi Services Clinic. Walk-ins are welcome, or patients can schedule an appointment.

She can provide brief support for mental health and substance use concerns, including:
🧠 Coping skills and mental health education
💙 Emotional support
🚭 Smoking cessation support
💊 Connections to our Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) Program
🤝 Referrals for ongoing therapy and medication management when additional care is needed

Brandi can see patients regardless of insurance status, with sliding-fee options available for patients without insurance.

And because our Service Spotlights are also about the people behind the work, here are a few things you should know about Brandi:

🎨 She describes herself as “very mediocre” at painting, pottery, sewing, and quilting, which honestly sounds like a pretty solid hobby lineup to us.

🐢 Her household includes two dogs, Petey and Franny, and Maude, a two-legged rescue turtle. She also admits that if she ever gets herself into trouble, there’s a decent chance it will involve trying to pet an animal she probably shouldn’t.

💍 She’s been married for almost 13 years and reports that her husband is “pretty cool.”

🏆 And finally, Brandi won the spelling bee in both fourth and sixth grade. Fifth grade? We don’t talk about fifth grade. The word “weasel” got her that year. 😂

We’re glad to have Brandi here each Tuesday helping connect our patients with compassionate, accessible behavioral health support.

📍 Find her at our Statesville office, in Interview Room #4, in the Multi-Services Clinic.

🔗 Learn more about Kintegra Behavioral Health:
https://www.kintegra.org/locations/kintegra-integrated-medicine-statesville/

🔗 Stevens Amendment Disclosures:
https://tinyurl.com/ICHDStevens2627