FARMVILLE — Rabies Awareness Week in Virginia is set for Sept. 25-Oct. 1.

According to a press release, rabies is a deadly disease caused by a virus that attacks the nervous system and is most commonly found in wild mammals, such as raccoons, foxes and skunks.

“Virginia’s Rabies Awareness Week centers around World Rabies Day, which is Sept. 28 each year,” officials said in the release. “Although rabies is a significant public health threat worldwide, human cases in the U.S. are rare with only one to three cases reported annually.”

The release cited low cases in the U.S. as due to effective vaccinations, public health practices such as animal quarantine and effective post-rabies shots.

“In Virginia, the highest risk animals for carrying rabies are wild animals such as bats, raccoons, skunks, foxes, groundhogs, bobcats, coyotes, beavers and opossums,” officials said in the release.