Fox Attacks At Least 3 People in Topsham; How Dangerous Is Rabies?

A fox attacked three people and two dogs in Topsham before shot to death on Saturday.

It comes after a rash of fox attacks in the town last month, including four in two weeks.

Wildwood Trust, Hit Hard By Pandemic, Prepares To Welcome Back Visitors — CANTERBURY, ENGLAND - MARCH 11: An Arctic Fox in its enclosure at the Wildwood Trust on March 11, 2021 in Canterbury, England. The Wildwood Trust charity near Canterbury in Kent, is home to around 1450 animals, across 82 species and specialises in native British species such as dormice, wildcats and red squirrels. The centre also cares for animals such as Bison, Wolves, Lynx and European Bears. Like many zoos and wildlife parks, Wildwood relies heavily on footfall, donations and memberships to sustain the cost of caring for the animals on site. In 2020 the site was closed for around 5 months. Keeping the animals fed costs around £11000 GBP a week alone not to mention staff and site maintenance. The conservation leg of the charity has been hit hard by the pandemic too, with funds for vital conservation projects including bringing dormice, wildcats and red squirrels back from the brink of extinction, shrinking massively. Many of the planned reintroductions were postponed in 2020. Last June the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) opened up a £100m GBP fund aimed at supporting zoos and aquariums struggling with the impact of coronavirus, with the caveat that they needed to be down to (initially) just six weeks of reserves in order to be eligible for support. That was later extended to 12 weeks. The British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) has since called on the government to remove the “prohibitive barriers” to the government funding proposals, and as of late 2020, only 12 applications were received. Wildwood Kent has not been eligible to apply for the funds leaving its future in the balance. Wildwood hopes to reopen to the public on 12 April when covid restrictions across the UK are lifted. Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

The Times Record said the witnesses saw the fox hidden under a porch at home off Winter Street around 10:17 a.m.

Around 45 minutes after eyewitnesses first saw it, it struck a dog and a 69-year-old man on Western Avenue. A game warden from Maine was dispatched to the scene.

The fox then assaulted a dog and a 57-year-old woman on Bauer Lane at 11:18 a.m. Despite the fact that the fox did not break her skin during the assault, the woman was taken to the hospital to be tested for rabies.

The fox continued to roam the neighborhood, eventually chasing a man into his Middle Street house, where he fatally shot the animal with a rifle.

According to Topsham police Sgt. Mark Gilliam, the gray fox had porcupine quills lodged in its muzzle, indicating that it was possibly rabid.

The fox was brought to Augusta's Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention to be tested for rabies, Associated Press said. Animals infected with the disease become violent, posing a concern in residential areas.

Just one of the four animals attacked in Topsham in early April tested positive for rabies. Since no one was hurt during the attack, the other animals were not identified or examined.

How Dangerous is Rabies?

United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said rabies could be transmitted from animals to humans. How? Through body fluids, such as saliva and spinal fluid, that come into contact with open skin.

Rabies is primarily present in wild animals such as coyotes, raccoons, skunks, bats, and foxes in the United States. Still, almost every person infected with the virus contracted it from a pet dog. Having your pets vaccinated is the safest way to prevent contracting rabies.

The virus can be lethal if left untreated. Hence, CDC also encourages people to get rabies vaccine - which is very safe for humans.

ALSO READ : French Man Dies From Rabies After Contracting Bat Virus

What Are The Symptoms of Rabies?

Typically, no signs appear right away. Rabies will remain dormant in the body for up to three months. This is referred to as the "incubation stage" by doctors. If the virus has passed through your central nervous system and reached your brain, symptoms will arise.

Fever is the first indication that something is wrong. You may feel exhausted or sluggish in general. You can also experience discomfort, tingling, or burning at the wound site. You'll experience other, more serious symptoms as the virus spreads through the central nervous system. They are as follows, according to WebMD:

Sleep deprivation (insomnia);
Anxiety;
Confusion;
Partial or complete paralysis;
Hyperactivity;
Hallucinations;
Drooling a little more than normal; and
Swallowing problems.

These signs progress to coma, heart or lung failure, and death over time.

What To Do If Your Pet Bit You

Soap and water should be applied to the wound right away. That is the most effective way to reduce the risk of infection.

Consult a physician as soon as possible. They'll treat the wound and determine whether you need to be vaccinated against rabies. Suppose you've been exposed to rabies in the last few months; they'll probably run a series of tests (saliva, blood, spinal fluid, skin, and hair) to look for the virus or antibodies.

If your doctor suspects rabies, you'll be given the rabies vaccine as part of your postexposure prophylaxis procedure (PEP). If the vaccine is given soon after exposure, it is always effective. You'll get one dose of fast-acting rabies immune globulin, which will protect you from the virus. Then, for the next 14 days, you'll get four rabies vaccine shots.

Rabies vaccinations are healthy for you and your baby if you are pregnant.