The Columbia area's third fox attack in two weeks sent a Lexington County firefighter to a doctor for medical treatment Thursday and state officials scrambling to find the animal they suspect of having rabies.
Robert Adkins had completed firefighter training when a reddish-gray fox bit him on the lower leg as he was walking away from the training site toward his automobile, the 20-year-old Lexington High School graduate said.
State officials caught what they believe to be the fox that bit Adkins on Thursday evening, according to the Department of Health and Environmental Control.
The morning attack occurred near a wooded area on Ball Park Road, a thoroughfare that contains county buildings, a fire service center and numerous ball fields just outside of Lexington.
The fox emerged from the woods, Adkins said.
"He kind of walked up to me, which I thought was kind of weird, and then he ran up and bit my leg," Adkins said. "I kicked him as hard as I could and he ran. I didn't see where he ran."
Adkins said he's not overly concerned about the bite. He immediately sought medical attention and was given shots for rabies, which made his ankle swell up, he said. More treatments are scheduled.
Rabies is a viral disease that develops in domestic and wild carnivores, as well as bats. It is transmitted to other animals or people through bites and scratches from infected animals, according to the World Health Organization.
When symptoms of the disease develop, rabies often is fatal. The key is getting treatment before symptoms develop.
A spokesman for the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control said state and county officials were looking for the fox Thursday afternoon.
DHEC and state wildlife officials think the fox may have been rabid, since the small animals are otherwise not aggressive.
Thursday's incident follows attacks on two people in Richland County near the Dorn VA Hospital about two weeks ago. But the attacks in both Lexington and Richland counties may be little more than coincidence, state officials said.
DHEC spokesman Adam Myrick and state wildlife biologist Jay Butfiloski noted that foxes are among the types of wildlife susceptible to rabies. About 20 percent of the confirmed rabid animals in the state last year were foxes, Myrick said.
Copyright 2012 - The State, Columbia, S.C.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
