A 9-year-old boy was attacked by a fox earlier this week in Massachusetts, and authorities have since confirmed that the animal tested positive for rabies.
The attack took place on the afternoon Sunday, March 26, in Sandy Valley Road, Dedham Animal Control said in a statement earlier this week.
Patrick Morrison, 9, was playing in his front yard when he encountered the rabid fox, ABC affiliate WCVB reported.
“It appeared out of nowhere from around the corner,” Patrick told the outlet. “The fox attacked me. I tried to run away from it and kick it away, but it just kept running back at me.”
Patrick’s brother Michael told local station WHDH that he realized something was going on after hearing his brother screaming.
“I look out our bedroom window, and I saw him running up out walkway, and there was a fox behind him,” Michael also told WHDH. “And the fox jumped up, it grabbed his arm, and then it let go because someone started yelling at it.”
“[It] got me good,” added Patrick.
Dedham Animal Control said the fox also attacked the two dogs the following day, WHDH reported.
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Patrick, who’s doing okay now, told WCVB that after the attack he went to the hospital to get his rabies shots — and spent two hours in the emergency room.
In their statement, Dedham Animal Control stressed the importance of taking rabies seriously.
“Rabies spreads to people and animals via saliva, usually through bites, scratches, or direct contact with mucosa (e.g. eyes, mouth, or open wounds). Once clinical symptoms appear, rabies is virtually 100% fatal,” according to the World Health Organization.
Animal control officials urged anybody who came into contact with the fox to seek immediate treatment.
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