The Tri-County Health Department in northern Colorado has confirmed a case of rabies in a skunk.
The rabid skunk was found on a private property in Brighton, and collected for testing by a veterinarian who identified cues that meant the animal could be infected.
Now the health department is warning that an increase in rabid skunks has increased the risk for people and unvaccinated animals.
"This rabid skunk in Adams County, along with several others identified over the last few years, confirms that rabies is endemic in skunks in the Front Range and Eastern pPlains," said the department's director Richard L. Vogt in a news release.
In Adams County, this is the second rabid skunk identified since 2007, when skunk rabies emerged. The first was identified in May 2010 in a rural part of the county just south of Morgan County.
In the recent case, officials are not aware of any exposure the skunk may have had with humans or other animals.
But the department has renewed a call for rabies vaccinations for pets and livestock in addition to taking other precautions to prevent exposure to any rabid animal in the future.
People are warned not to feed wild animals or leave pet food or livestock feed accessible outdoors.
Junk piles that could provide nesting areas for animals should be removed, and pets should not be allowed to roam freely, since this increases the risk that they become exposed to the virus without the owner's knowledge.
The rabies virus affects the animal's nervous system and is nearly always fatal.
The virus is shed in the saliva of infected animals, and spread through the bite of a rabid animal or through saliva if it comes into contact with eyes, nose, mouth or open wounds of a person or another mammal.
Immediate medical treatment is required after exposure.
Anyone with questions can call COHELP, the statewide public health information line at 1-877-462-2911 or go online at www.tchd.org/rabies.htm