DALTON, Ga. -
Health officials say six people are receiving rabies treatments after being exposed to a rabid horse in Whitfield County in northwest Georgia.
North Georgia Health District spokeswoman Jennifer King tells The Daily Citizen of Dalton (http://bit.ly/NdiSCj) that the people had contact with the horse's saliva or mucus.
King said the horse, which was pastured near Dalton's municipal airport, began to show symptoms on June 9.
Health officials don't know how the horse became infected but it was likely bitten by a rabid wild animal. Other horses and cattle in the pasture have been given rabies vaccinations and will be closely monitored for the next six months.
Officials said that among wild animals, more than 80 percent of all positive laboratory cases in Georgia and the U.S. are from raccoons.
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Information from: The Daily Citizen, http://www.daltondailycitizen.com
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.
