Rabid Fox Bites Man in West Bethlehem

A fox that attacked a man in West Bethlehem on Wednesday has tested positive for rabies, city officials said today.

The attack occurred on Stanford Road between Eaton Avenue and Shelbourne Drive. Another fox attack occurred the same day in the same neighborhood, though it is uncertain whether it was the same fox in the other attack.

Both men are nonetheless undergoing rabies post-exposure prophylaxis, city officials said.  The fox in the confirmed rabies attack was sent to the Pennsylvania Bureau of Laboratories for testing.

A third attack took place last week in East Allentown near the border with Bethlehem along Tacoma Road between Catasauqua Road and Pennsylvania Avenue. That fox was also shipped to a laboratory and confirmed positive for rabies, Bethlehem officials said.

City officials said anyone who sees a potentially rabid animal should contact police immediately.

The first sign of rabies in an animal is usually a change in its behavior.

“A rabid animal may become either abnormally aggressive or unusually tame. It may lose fear of people and become excited and irritable or appear friendly and affectionate,” the city news release says.

“Adults should encourage children to immediately tell an adult if an animal has bitten them and to refrain from touching unfamiliar animals.”

Rabies is a virus that affects the nervous system of humans and other mammals. The virus is transmitted through contact with the saliva of infected animals.

Anyone bitten by a rabid animal or having contact with its saliva should receive treatment. When administered before symptoms develop, the treatment is 100 percent effective. Once symptoms occur, however, the disease is almost always fatal.

Officials advise that close contact with unfamiliar and wild animals should be avoided and family pets should be kept up-to-date with rabies vaccinations.

It is also important to not leave pets outside unattended and avoid leaving food outside for your pet or feeding stray and wild animals.