The Sullivan County Department of Public Health confirmed to Hudson Valley Post that a raccoon in the Livingston Manor area tested positive for the rabies virus.
This marks the fourth human exposure incident involving a laboratory-confirmed positive animal this year, the Sullivan County Department of Public Health reports.
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Rabies is a potentially fatal disease. The only way to get it is through a bite from a sick animal or saliva in an open wound, officials say.
"The rabies virus infects the central nervous system. If a person does not receive the appropriate medical care after a potential rabies exposure, the virus can cause disease in the brain, ultimately resulting in death," the CDC states.