Holloway Township will be under alert until Sept. 11, according to Sonya Carver, who serves as administrative support at the Person County Animal Shelter.

The raccoon was killed by a dog, Carver said, after the animal entered the dog’s pen. The dog was not current on rabies vaccine, and therefore had to be euthanized.

After a raccoon tested positive for the virus in February, 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 is under a rabies alert until July 11.

The viral disease typically first presents in wild animals in the spring, according to Adoption Agent Kay Farrell. The first case in Bushy Fork this winter was likely due to mild weather at the time, she said.

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

Parents are advised to be careful about preventing their children from being in 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 Holloway, Bushy Fork and Allensville, the animal shelter will not be able to adopt out any animals that originated from any of those areas.

By the end of summer 2007, nearly every township in Person County was under a rabies alert.

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

Rabies is a preventable viral disease of mammals that is usually 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 following the onset of symptoms.