JAMES CITY COUNTY, Va. — Residents in the Williamsburg and James City County area are being asked to report any exposures to a rabid fox, reported this week.
The Hampton & Peninsula Health Districts sent a release Thursday morning notifying the community a red fox was involved in an incident on the 100 block of Reflection Drive.
The fox was tested for rabies, and it came back positive.
Any person or animal exposed to a fox in that area was instructed to report to the Peninsula Health District's Environmental Health Office at 757-594-7340. Even secondary exposures with a pet that may have had contact with a fox should be reported.
To report an exposure after normal business hours, residents can call local Animal Control:
- Hampton: 757-727-6111
- Newport News/Poquoson: 757-595-7387
- Williamsburg/JCC: 757-565-0370 (daytime); 757-253-1800 (evenings, weekends, holidays)
- York County: 757-890-3601
"Rabies is a fatal, but preventable, disease carried by mammals and has been in the wild animal population on the Peninsula since the mid-1980s," the health district release stated.
The district would like to remind all citizens to follow these three important rabies prevention guidelines:
- Vaccinate your pets.
- Report all exposures to animals (usually bites and scratches) to your doctor and the local health department.
- Enjoy wildlife from a distance – don’t feed or encourage wild animals such as raccoons, skunks or foxes to visit your premises.