The Pet Tree House - Where Pets Are Family Too : Fairfax County, Virginia - A Raccoon that Was Discovered Inside a Fairfax County Home Has Tested Positive for Rabies The Pet Tree House - Where Pets Are Family Too : Fairfax County, Virginia - A Raccoon that Was Discovered Inside a Fairfax County Home Has Tested Positive for Rabies

Tuesday, March 8, 2016

Fairfax County, Virginia - A Raccoon that Was Discovered Inside a Fairfax County Home Has Tested Positive for Rabies


A raccoon that was discovered inside a Fairfax County, Virginia, home has tested positive for rabies, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.

A release from the public affairs bureau said the victim, a man from Clifton, Virginia, was notified and is receiving medical treatment. The raccoon was one of three reports of wild animals coming in contact with humans in the county this week.

The Clifton man found the raccoon in his home around 11 a.m. on March 3. Police said he fought off the animal and was bitten during the struggle. The man was able to kill the raccoon and transport it to the Fairfax County Animal Shelter.

Earlier in the week, a woman was running on a trail in Great Falls, Virginia, on Wednesday, March 2, around 8 a.m. A fox attacked and bit the woman. She underwent preventative treatment for potential exposure to rabies at the Reston Hospital Center.

On that same day, another woman was checking on her chickens around 9 a.m. in the 9100 block of Potomac Woods Lanes, near Riverbend Park. She confronted and was bitten by a fox. She also sought treatment at the Reston Hospital Center.

The fox has not been captured.

Animal Control would like to remind residents that it is unknown, at present, whether or not the fox is rabid. However, aggressive tendencies, such as those exhibited in these cases, are one of the signs of rabies.

Rabies is a disease caused by a virus that can infect both people and animals. People usually get rabies when they are bitten by an animal that is sick with the disease.

If bitten or scratched by an animal, wash the wound thoroughly with soap and water and seek medical attention right away. In Fairfax County, residents should also immediately report animal bites, as well as sick or injured animals, to Animal Control Services at 703-691-2131, TTY 703-877-3715.

More information on the rabies virus, exposure prevention tips, and what to do if an animal bites, is available: http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/hd/rabies/

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