A case of rabies has been confirmed in Newnan, though the infection was limited only to a raccoon caught on Pitts Street.

A resident reported a raccoon in her yard Dec. 3 that was acting strangely, said Newnan Public Information Officer Gina Snider. The raccoon was restrained by animal control and humanely euthanized, Snider said.

Lab results confirmed that the animal tested positive for rabies, she said.

“These vaccinations are critical to your families’ and pets’ well- being,” said Newnan animal officer Cyndi Hoffman. ”People do not realize the long and intense treatments needed for humans if bitten by a rabid animal and symptoms occur it is too late. Rabies has a 99 percent fatality rate for humans and animals.”

Symptoms of rabies usually develop between 20 and 60 days after exposure. Rabid animals may become aggressive, combative, and highly sensitive to touch and other kinds of stimulation. And they can be vicious. This is the "furious" form of rabies, the kind traditionally associated with mad dogs.

There is also a "dumb" form of the disease in which the animal is lethargic, weak in one or more limbs, and unable to raise its head or make sounds because its throat and neck muscles are paralyzed. In both kinds of animal rabies, death occurs a few days after symptoms appear, usually from respiratory failure.

Rabies infection in humans begins with symptoms such as fever, cough, or sore throat followed in several days by more serious and rapidly progressing symptoms such as restlessness, hallucinations and seizures. The final stage is coma and death.

Tips Residents for rabies prevention include: avoid wildlife, vaccinate pets, do not approach an animal unknown to your or your family, secure trash in garbage cans with tight-fitting lids and feed and water your pets inside your home to avoid attracting wild animals.