A reminder that rabies is always with us

MILFORD — A Milford resident reported being bitten by a rabid fox on Sunday, in the middle of the borough, while she and her husband were outside doing yard work.

The resident, who asked not to be identified, said she was on a ladder a few feet off the ground when a fox came over and bit the bottom of her foot. She was wearing flip-flops.

She said her husband chased the animal and shot it dead. An officer with the Pennsylvania Game Commission came to take the dead animal away for testing. The fox was positive for rabies.

The victim was treated at Bon Secours Hospital in Port Jervis, and must report for a series of injections that will be administered for 14 days after the bite. Rabies is a virus that attacks the nervous system, and affects all mammals. Without proper treatment or immunization, a person or animal with rabies always dies.

Officer William Williams, information and education supervisor for the game commission's Northeast Region, which includes Pike County, said rabies is endemic in the area. That is, there are always rabid animals in the wildlife population, even though many cases will never be known because infected animals do not always come into contact with humans or pets.

Pets are much more likely than humans to contract rabies, Williams said. Rabid animals generally act strangely — spinning around, for example, or seemingly friendly or without fear of humans. Since the virus affects the nervous system, animals with rabies may appear sluggish or have trouble walking. If you see an animal that you suspect has rabies, call the game commission's Northeast Region office at 570-675-1143.

Williams does not recommend discharging a firearm to bring down a rapid animal, even after a bite. For tips on how to respond to a bite, or to prevent one, see sidebar.

Immunizing pets is the most effective way to prevent rabies in humans, according to the Pennsylvania Cooperative Extension. In Pennsylvania, house cats and all dogs more than three months of age are required by law to be vaccinated against rabies because many pets have much more contact with wild animals than their owners realize. In fact, for most of the past 10 years, more cats were diagnosed with rabies than either bats or foxes.