Since Jan. 1, 59 animals, primarily skunks and foxes, have tested positive for rabies, health officials said.

So far, those rabid animals have exposed seven people and 39 domestic animals to the disease.

Campers have reported animal attacks on trails and some skunks have even entered private yards, looking for food, health officials said.

The areas of greatest concern include Flagstaff and parts of Pima, Cochise and Santa Cruz counties in the southern part of the state, officials said.

”With this great weather, people need to be careful when they are out camping and hiking,'' said Elisabeth Lawaczeck, a veterinarian with the Arizona Department of Health Services. ”People … need to be smart about the wildlife, especially around their children and pets.''

Health officials said rabies outbreaks are cyclical and that there was no one reason why some counties may be seeing an increased number of cases.

”We do have, every few years, clusters and focuses of rabies occurring in skunks and foxes in different parts of the state,'' Lawaczeck said.

Rabies infects the central nervous system, causing swelling of the brain and other neurological problems, including insomnia, partial paralysis, hallucinations, hypersalivation and difficulty swallowing.

It is typically transmitted by an animal bite.

In the past 11 days, rabies has been confirmed in 12 animals, including a horse in Gilbert, marking the first case of rabies in Maricopa County this year.

State and federal health officials said they are still trying to determine how or where the mare contracted the disease.

Health officials said residents can protect themselves by keeping their trash contained and being on the lookout for wild animals that may be acting strange or aggressive.