July 30,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood
Ridgewood NJ, there have been several reports on local Facebook groups of residents seeing a fox and snapping photos . As a reminder the Bergen Record reported a Glen Ridge women was bitten by a red fox that acted aggressively toward children on Chestnut Hill Place earlier this month and has tested positive for rabies.
What should I do if I am bitten by an animal?
• Clean the wound immediately with soap and water.
• Seek prompt medical attention from a physician or hospital emergency department.
• Report the bite to the local health department.
If you are bitten by a wild animal:
• Try to contain the animal while taking care to prevent additional bites and exposure to saliva. Contact
the animal control officer or local police for assistance. In the event the animal is euthanized (put to
sleep), care should be taken to avoid damage to the brain, which should be submitted to the state
rabies laboratory for testing.
• Human treatment to prevent rabies may be started immediately or delayed until the testing results are
known.
• If the animal is not available for testing, the decision to start human treatment will be made by the bite
victim and his/her physician based on recommendations by the local health department.
If you are bitten by a dog, cat, or other domestic animal:
• Obtain information about the pet including owner’s name, phone, address, description of the animal,
and its vaccination status.
• Biting animals should be ordered observed for 10 days by the local health department to ensure that
they are free of rabies. If showing signs of rabies, the animal should be euthanized immediately and
tested. If the animal dies during the observation period, it must be submitted for testing.
• Bites from other domestic animals (such as horses, cows, goats, and sheep) will be evaluated by your
local health department. The animals can usually be observed for 10 days to rule out the possibility of
rabies.
