Fox infected with rabies bites 6 people in one night, New York officials say

A rabid fox bit at least six people on a Friday night in western New York, according to police and health officials.

The attacks took place near homes in Brighton, a town 4 miles southeast of Rochester, the Monroe County Department of Public Health said in a news release.

Authorities ultimately killed the fox before it was tested for rabies, according to officials.

The results came back positive for rabies, which can lead “to death of infected humans or pets if untreated,” health officials warned.

People who didn’t come into physical contact with the fox are not at risk, according to the release.

Anyone who had a physical encounter with the fox in Brighton is asked to report the incident to the county’s Rabies Control Program at 585-753-5171.

Signs an animal may have rabies

It’s not possible to determine if an animal has rabies without lab testing, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

However, there are some warning signs that can hint at a possible rabies infection in an animal.

According to the CDC, the signs include:

• Aggressiveness

• Biting attempts

• Drooling

• Issues swallowing

• Appearing more tame than normal

• Issues moving

• A bat on the ground

Rabies can “reprogram” an animal’s nervous system, causing it to become less fearful and more aggressive, Dr. Karsten Hueffer told Medical News Today.

Meanwhile, some animals with rabies may appear fine, so the CDC cautions against approaching or feeding an animal in the wild.

Another way to avoid rabies is to make sure pets, such as dogs or cats, get a rabies vaccination, Monroe County health officials said.

In the U.S., rabies cases in people are rare, according to the CDC. About one to three cases are reported yearly.

The animals most likely to carry rabies are bats, foxes, raccoons and skunks, the agency says.

This story was originally published April 25, 2023 at 2:34 PM with the headline "Fox infected with rabies bites 6 people in one night, New York officials say."

Julia Marnin

McClatchy DC

Julia Marnin covers courts for McClatchy News, writing about criminal and civil affairs, including cases involving policing, corrections, civil liberties, fraud, and abuses of power. As a reporter on McClatchy’s National Real-Time Team, she’s also covered the COVID-19 pandemic and a variety of other topics since joining in 2021, following a fellowship with Newsweek. Born in Biloxi, Mississippi, she was raised in South Jersey and is now based in New York State.