After a raccoon tested positive for the virus on Monday, the Allensville community was placed under a rabies alert until Aug. 11.

A skunk from the Bushy Fork community tested positive for rabies in early January, and that area remains under a rabies alert until July 11.

The viral disease typically first presents in wild animals in the spring, Farrell said. When asked why she thought the disease had shown up so early this year, Farrell said the Bushy Fork skunk “may have popped out because of the warm weather” the county had experienced during the first few days of the new year.

Likewise, last week was relatively warm for early February and could have contributed to the appearance of the rabid raccoon.

Farrell again advised pet owners to make sure their dogs, cats, horses and any other animals that can receive the vaccine stay current.

In the Allensville area Monday, Animal Control officers picked up several dogs that had been exposed to the rabid raccoon. Farrell said the animals would have to be euthanized because their vaccinations were not current.

Parents should also be careful about not allowing their children to come into contact with wild or stray animals.

Anyone who sees a sick or aggressive animal, or any animal that is acting strangely, should contact the Person County Animal Control at 597-1741.

During the time that the alert is in effect in Bushy Fork and Allensville, the animal shelter cannot adopt out any animals that originate from either area.

Last summer, nearly all of Person County was affected by rabies alerts.

The single best way to help prevent rabies is to keep pets current on their vaccinations and confined to the owners’ property, Farrell advised.

Rabies is a preventable viral disease of mammals that is most often transmitted through the bite of a rabid animal. The majority of rabies cases reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention each year occur in wild animals like raccoons, skunks, bats, and foxes.

The rabies virus infects the central nervous system, causing encephalopathy and ultimately death. Early symptoms of rabies in humans are nonspecific, consisting of fever, headache, and general malaise. As the disease progresses, neurological symptoms appear and may include insomnia, anxiety, confusion, slight or partial paralysis, excitation, hallucinations, agitation, hypersalivation, difficulty swallowing, and hydrophobia (fear of water). Death usually occurs within days of the onset of symptoms.