In 2007, 730 cases of the disease were reported in animals in Virginia, the highest since 1982, when the Health Department received 745 reports. The most common animals to be diagnosed with rabies are raccoons, followed by skunks, and then foxes.
A total of 359 rabid raccoon cases were reported in 2007. The Raccoon, also known as the Northern Raccoon, Common Raccoon, Washer Bear or Coon, is a widespread, medium-sized, omnivorous mammal native to North America. Of the 6,844 documented rabies cases reported in the United States in 2004, 37.5 percent were in raccoons.
Raccoon rabies is as dangerous to humans as any other strain, even though there is only one documented case in which it has led to a fatal case of human rabies. Any animal with suspected rabies should not be approached.
Saliva and other bodily fluids may carry the rabies virus. Many communities have animal control officers who can deal with rabid animals. Rabies is a deadly disease caused by a virus that attacks the nervous system. It kills almost any mammal that gets sick from it.
