GALAX, Va. (WFXR) — The Mount Rogers Health District shared a warning on Thursday after a red fox — which was discovered outside a home in Galax earlier this week — tested positive for rabies.
Health officials say the live red fox was found laying on a residential porch in the 100 block of Pine Knoll Drive on Tuesday, May 24.
According to the health district, the person who reported the discovery said they heard what sounded like a “possible animal fight” before the rabid fox was discovered.
If you know any person or mammal pets that may have come in contact with a red fox in the area, you are asked to call the Galax City Health Department at 276-236-6127 or contact the Galax Police Department.
Health officials say that the fox was probably active in the area for several days, so residents should be on the lookout for possibly exposed animals that could become rabid over the next few months.
In addition, you are encouraged to make sure your pets — including livestock — are up to date on their rabies vaccinations.
“Remember, rabies is fatal once the symptoms appear. All mammals (including humans) can get rabies,” the Mount Rogers Health District said in a statement on Thursday, May 26. “Rabies is most commonly transmitted by a bite, but may also be transmitted by saliva or brain tissue of a rabid animal coming into contact with eyes, mucous membranes, or open wounds.”
This news comes just weeks after the Central Virginia Health District warned the Bedford County community about a rabid fox that bit a person on Stone Mountain Road, followed by an alert from the Mount Rogers Health District about a rabid raccoon that chased after a person and a cat on Floyd Pike in Hillsville.
Earlier this month, Virginia health officials shared the following tips to prevent rabies in people and pets:
- Do not feed stray animals.
- Avoid wild animals, especially raccoons, bats, foxes, and skunks.
- Feed your pets indoors and do not let them wander.
- Teach children to avoid contact with wild animals, as well as unfamiliar pets.
- Do not handle sick, injured or dead animals. If you have concerns about sick or injured wildlife, you are asked to contact a licensed wildlife rehabber.
- Keep wild animals out of homes by capping chimneys with screens; blocking openings in attics, cellars, and porches; and making sure trash cans have tight fitting lids.
- Do not try to trap or handle stray and wild animals.
- If you find a bat indoors that may have had contact with someone, do not release it. Instead, you should contact your local animal control officer or health department to determine whether the animal should be picked up and tested for rabies.
- If you are bitten by a wild or stray animal, don’t panic. All you need to do is thoroughly wash the wound(s) with warm, soapy water and contact animal control, your doctor, or the health department for further advice.
