Los Angeles county recently documented its first rabid raccoon in more than 50 years, and health officials are urging residents to never touch wild animals.

The county’s department of public health announced in a statement this week that four people and a dog may have been exposed to the animal at a backyard work site in the city of Westlake Village. The raccoon appeared in ill health but was not aggressive.

Rabies is spread through a bite or scratch from an infected animal. It kills tens of thousands of people each year, mostly in Africa and Asia, and is almost completely fatal once symptoms appear. The US sees fewer than 10 deaths annually “due to robust prevention efforts”, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Health officials in Los Angeles county told residents they should “always keep a safe distance from wildlife and contact your local animal control if you encounter an animal that appears sick, injured, or is behaving unusually” and ensure pets are up to date on their vaccines.

“The detection of rabies in a raccoon is an important reminder to never touch, handle, or feed any wild animals, even when they appear healthy,” said Dr Muntu Davis, the Los Angeles county health officer.

The group of people who were possibly exposed to rabies in Los Angeles county were receiving follow-up care, which includes a series of vaccines. The dog was up to date on its rabies vaccine and is “doing well” under quarantine, according to the health department.

It is not yet known which rabies variant the raccoon was infected with, although officials believe it was probably rabies from a bat. The county has not had a documented case of a rabid raccoon since 1973, according to the public health department, and the last known animal, aside from bats, to have rabies was a skunk in 2014.

This year, the county has seen the highest number of rabid bats it has ever recorded, the public health department said last week, with 69 documented cases. The sick animals have been found in every part of the county and nearly a third of all bats submitted for rabies testing were infected.

“Rabid bat detections can vary year-to-year, but Los Angeles county has seen a steady upward trend for more than a decade,” the public health department said.