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A Florida woman was bitten by a rabid fox in front of her children in Weston, Broward County, according to reports.
Annie Mathew told CBS Miami that they encountered the gray fox when they arrived at their home in Weston, a suburban town about 30 miles northwest of Miami.
After arriving at the property, Mathew noticed that “something” was going under his car.
“You could hear a high-pitched scream, kind of like a quack, a loud scream, and I told the girls not to get out of the car,” Mathew told CBS for an article on Sunday.
The mother then got out of the car to check out what was underneath, which was when the fox sank its teeth into her ankle and a fight ensued.
“I was shaking my leg and she was still holding on to my leg. She wasn’t letting go, she had a hold and she was not letting go, she was just hanging at my feet,” said Mathew.
“It was like shaking and fighting with and hitting him with my bag, my phone, and when it broke after almost almost a minute he ran under the car and tried to enter through the garage. . “
The fox showed signs of rabies and the animal subsequently tested positive for rabies. Mathew is now undergoing life-saving post-exposure treatment, which involves the administration of a series of shots.
Rabies is a serious viral disease that affects the brain and spinal cord of mammals. The virus is usually transmitted when people are bitten by an infected animal.
In humans, the disease is almost always fatal once symptoms appear. In fact, it has the highest death rate of all known diseases. Despite this, rabies is preventable, although people exposed to the virus should receive treatment as soon as possible to prevent the disease from developing.
“I can’t explain the fear I have,” said Mathew. “The protocol for the rabies vaccine is the first day you are going to get a series of vaccines. On the third day you do more vaccines. Then seven, which is today, I went back to emergencies to get the vaccine. And I have to go back. on the 29th to get more pictures. But I’m afraid something may go wrong and we won’t know for weeks, if not months, if I get it. “
People exposed to the virus usually have no symptoms until the virus reaches the brain, which usually takes three to 12 weeks, although this period can be as short as a week, or as long as a week. year or more.
Mathew said the animal was spotted in the area a week before the attack, but nothing has been done about it.
“Florida Fish and Wildlife said they never had a report about it and then hearing that the animal was acting insanely and sickly in the head, I cannot explain the fear I have. ai, ”said Mathew.
Several areas of Weston had already been placed on rabies alert before the latest attack.
The Florida Department of Health in Broward issued the alert, which is active for 60 days, on September 17 after a fox tested positive for rabies.
“All residents and visitors to Broward County should be aware that rabies is present in the wildlife population and that pets are at risk if they are not vaccinated. The public is urged to maintain a heightened awareness that rabies is active in Broward County. Please be aware that rabies can also occur outside the alert zone, “said a statement from the department.
“An animal with rabies could infect domestic animals that have not been vaccinated against rabies. All pets should be vaccinated against rabies and contact with wildlife should be avoided, especially raccoons, bats, foxes, skunks, otters, bobcats and coyotes.
People who have been bitten or scratched by wild or domestic animals should see a doctor and report the injury to the department at 954-467-4700.
The latest incident comes shortly after an Illinois man became the first person to die of rabies in the state since 1954, according to the state’s health department.
The man in his 80s refused post-exposure treatment for rabies after waking up one day to find a bat on his neck which then tested positive for rabies. He later died of the disease.
News week contacted the Florida Department of Health for comment.
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