"I want to warn people because we have a lot of kids up here," said Debbie Rockenhauser.
She and her husband were exposed after they killed a raccoon at their home on June 14. The raccoon had been acting in an aggressive manner and had killed a kitten, Rockenhauser said.
In attempting to dispose of the raccoon and kitten, the couple came into contact with raccoon saliva, she said.
A few days later, rabies tests on the raccoon came back positive, and the Rockenhausers began receiving their shots immediately.
Rockenhauser said she wants to get the word out about rabies, especially now that school is out for the summer and children could be exposed to the disease.
Last week, a raccoon killed in Indian Springs also tested positive. As a result, two dogs that were bitten by the raccoon were put down.
MacRae said the cases this year are not out of the ordinary either in number or location. But this is the time of the year when the number of cases tends to rise because people spend more time outdoors, he said.
"It's definitely an ongoing concern for us," MacRae said.
Rabies, a virus that attacks the central nervous system, is spread through the saliva of infected animals. Humans exposed to rabies are treated through a series of shots over 28 days. Left untreated, rabies is fatal.
Rabid animals could turn up almost anywhere in the county, especially in rural areas that provide habitat for raccoons and other animals, MacRae said. He and others have warned against contact with wild animals.
