In this day and age, rabies could be misconstrued as an affliction limited to works of fiction: “Old Yeller,” “Cujo” and “To Kill a Mockingbird” come to mind. But rabies is still a threat in our modern world  — and not to just animals.

Rabies is a viral disease that is usually transmitted from mammal to mammal through saliva, most often through a bite or scratch. It affects the central nervous system and causes inflammation in the brain.

The most common way humans contract the disease is being bitten by a rabid animal. In the U.S., raccoons, skunks, foxes, bats and coyotes are all known carriers of different strains of rabies. In part thanks to vaccines, these days domestic animals only account for 3 percent of the disease — but 55,000 people still die from rabies around the world annually.

Rabid animals often exhibit symptoms like excessive drool or strange behavior, such as aggression or turning in circles. Wild animals with the disease often show no fear of humans.

If you are bitten or scratched by a rabid — or possibly rabid — animal, wash the wound immediately with soap and water and contact your physician or local health department.

The first symptoms in humans usually include an itching sensation at the site of the bite, followed by weariness, restlessness, agitation and muscle spasms. Once the symptoms actually start, which can vary from 10 days to seven years after infection, the disease is almost always fatal; an infected person usually dies from respiratory failure within seven days of symptom onset. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports less than 10 documented cases of human survival from rabies without prophylactic treatment.

Rabies is no fictional foe — if there’s a chance you’ve been infected, seek medical attention immediately.