HALL COUNTY, Ga — A raccoon tested positive for rabies after contacting a dog in Hall County.
The contact happened recently, according to a Monday press release from the county.
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The raccoon was taken to the Georgia Public Health Lab in Decatur, where it tested positive for rabies.
This is the sixth confirmed case of rabies in Hall County this year, according to the release.
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In a July 6 news release, the Georgia Department of Public Health wrote that rabies is a preventable viral disease of mammals that is most often spread through the bite of an infected animal.
According to the department, symptoms of a rabies infection may include insomnia, confusion, hallucinations, slight or partial paralysis, hypersalivation, and difficulty swallowing.
“If you notice a wild or nocturnal animal moving about in the daytime and the animal appears to show no fear of people or the animal seems to behave in a sick or abnormal way, the animal may be infected with rabies,” said Melinda Knight, District 4 public health’s environmental health director. “People should avoid animals acting out of character and report it to animal control or their local environmental health office.”
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