FOLEY, Ala. — The first rabid animal of 2014 has been found in Foley.

“Last week a raccoon was observed around some businesses on the south end of Highway 59 acting very strange and appearing to be rabid,” said Foley Police Chief David Wilson Friday. “The animal was killed and tested for rabies.”

According to Rachel Beck of the Baldwin County Health Department, Dykes Veterinary Clinic of Foley submitted the deceased animal to them for those tests.

“The Health Department called back a couple of days ago and reported that the animal tested positive for rabies,” Wilson added.

However, Beck said no human had been injured.

“We don’t believe anybody needed treatment,” she said Friday.

Wilson pointed out that this incident should bring an important message to South Baldwin resients.

“The important message that would be good to get out is that people should not treat raccoons as pets nor feed them,” the police chief said. “Should anyone come in contact with a raccoon that is acting strangely, please call the Foley Police and do not get close enough for the animal to charge and bite you.”

Beck added that residents should also make sure their pets’ rabies vaccinations are up to date.

“That’s a barrier between humans and the wildlife population,” she said.

According to Dee W. Jones, D.V.M. of the Alabama Department of Health,

raccoons and bats are the primary reservoir species for rabies, but the virus can infect other animals such as dogs, cats, foxes, coyotes and skunks.

“Rabies in raccoons is not really anything new to this area,” she said. “However, the biggest challenge for rabies control continues to be keeping it out of the domestic animal population.”

Raccoons can spread rabies through infected saliva by biting or scratching a pet. An infected pet becomes extremely dangerous for owners, family members, and other animals that come into contact with it, Jones explained.

She added that the Alabama Department of Public Health tests animals that have bitten or scratched people or their pets.

“Each year, approximately 50 samples test positive, with raccoons and bats accounting for the vast majority,” Jones said. “In Baldwin County, since 2011, there have been six positive raccoons, two foxes and one bat. It is important to note that the positive samples tested only represent those that exposed a person or an animal, which is a fraction of the total positive animals in the wild.”

Once rabies develops in an animal, it is always considered to be fatal.

“The good news is that rabies can be prevented in animals by vaccination. Alabama state law requires that all dogs, cats and ferrets must be kept current with rabies vaccination,” Jones said. “Rabies vaccines are also available for horses and other livestock if recommended by a veterinarian.”

In addition to vaccinating animals, the Alabama Department of Health said the following precautions should be taken to avoid possible exposure to rabies:

• Don’t go near domestic animals that are acting in a strange or unusual manner.
• Instruct children not to go near any non-domesticated animal regardless of its behavior.
• Advise children to tell an adult if they are bitten or scratched by an animal.
• Never touch a bat, and contact the county health department if you suspect a bat has been in contact with sleeping adults, unattended children or pets.

Jones said that a person who is bitten or scratched by an animal should wash wounds immediately with mild soap and water, apply first aid and seek medical attention or contact the county health department as soon as possible.

“Rabies is preventable in humans exposed to a positive animal if special medical treatment is provided in a timely manner,” she said.

For more information, contact the Alabama Department of Public Health, Bureau of Communicable Disease, Division of Epidemiology, at 1-800-338-8734 or the Baldwin County Health Department at 251-972-6834.