Skunk killed by dogs in Salina infected with rabies

? Health officials in Saline County say a skunk that was killed by dogs in Salina has tested positive for rabies.

The Salina Journal reports that it’s the first case of rabies in Saline County and the fourth in Kansas this year.

Last year, 58 animals tested positive for rabies in Kansas, including 39 skunks, five cats, three dogs, five cattle and six bats.

The Salina skunk was tested Thursday by the Kansas State University Rabies Laboratory in Manhattan.

Skunks and bats are the main sources of rabies in the Midwest and can infect domestic pets and farm livestock that are exposed to the sick animals.

About 50,000 people a year worldwide die of rabies infection.