Recent reports of foxes with rabies spark alert in Mohave County

Mojave County has never had a rabies problem in its fox population until recently. The first reports of the virus infecting local foxes surfaced in late 2022. However, a total of six probable or confirmed cases of rabies were reported to the Mojave County Public Health Department over a seven-month period, all near the Hualapai Mountains. .

The two most recent reports occurred in seven days and the county issued a “high priority alert.”

A Mojave County press release states, “It is of the utmost importance that you take immediate precautions to ensure the safety of your pet, yourself and your family.” “Keep away from foxes and wild animals in the general area, ensure your pets are safe, make sure your rabies vaccine is up to date, seek medical or veterinary attention if encountered, and avoid exposure. Please let me know the possibilities.”

Advice from the Mojave County Public Health Department

Stay away from foxes. Foxes should be avoided, especially those exhibiting unusual behavior or appearing sick or injured. Do not handle them or approach them. If you encounter a fox that appears aggressive or confused, please report the sighting to your local animal control authorities immediately.
Ensure your pet’s safety. If you let your pet outside, make sure it is supervised and on a leash at all times. Do not let them roam freely as they may come into contact with potentially infected animals. Rabies vaccination is an important preventive measure against rabies, so make sure your pet has the latest rabies vaccinations.
Please see a doctor. If you or someone in your household is bitten or scratched by an animal, wash the wound thoroughly with soap and water for at least 10 minutes. Contact your healthcare provider or local health department immediately to assess the need for prophylaxis after rabies exposure.
Report possible exposure to rabies. If you think your pet may have had rabies, contact your veterinarian immediately. To help prevent the spread of the disease, report any potential rabies exposure to your local animal control or health department.

Mojave Public Health Director Chad Kingsley said the first of two recently reported cases came from a property owner between Pinon Pines and Interstate 40, where a fox was found. He said he witnessed him attack his dog. The owner reportedly killed the fox and the body tested positive for rabies. The dog’s owner is currently working with county animal control and nursing services to follow guidelines for dog observation.

Kingsley said the next call came from the same area, where a property owner reported a fox attacking a small dog. But Kingsley said the lack of visual confirmation of the recent attack suggests that it could have been a coyote that attacked the dog, whether it had rabies or not. Kingsley said Arizona Game and Fish is actively searching for foxes and conducting fox searches in the area, while nursing services are communicating with owners to provide guidance to animals that have been attacked. It is said that they are monitoring.

Kingsley said a “high priority alert” was the result of these two incidents being reported within seven days.

“In the first case, the fox was euthanized and tested positive at the AzDHS State Laboratory,” Kingsley said. “No animals were euthanized in the second reported incident, which means that rabies may have occurred. increased prevention is recommended.”

Prior to the two reports in May, the Department of Health received an unconfirmed report in March on the southwest side of the Hualapai area, between the proving grounds and the mountains. In the incident, off-road riders reported that the fox approached them and began biting their tires, trying to bite the riders. The riders left, but Animal Control searched the area but could not find the fox.

The first reports of rabies in Mojave County foxes occurred in November and December of 2022. In both of the first two incidents, Hualapai residents reported that the foxes were behaving normally, and in both cases authorities were able to find a place to euthanize the foxes in question. . Both foxes tested positive for rabies, Kingsley said.

A third case, likely to occur in 2022, was reported by a Lazy-YU resident who reported unusual and aggressive behavior in foxes. Kingsley said the fox was killed by the property owner, but its remains were not available for testing, so rabies was not confirmed in this case.

Kingsley said the Public Health Nursing Service tracks all rabies reports to conduct contact tracing, investigate possible transmission, identify risks and provide guidance to those involved. rice field. The department also said it would coordinate responses with various other agencies, including animal control, game fish and county risk management, and would inform the media if an incident occurred.

Kingsley said Mojave County was the last Arizona county to have rabies in a local fox. However, the virus now appears to have reached northwestern Arizona.

“Since every county has confirmed positive cases of foxes, the early and recent cases in Mojave County could be attributed to animal wandering and disease transfer,” Kingsley said.

Mojave County had no confirmed cases of rabies in foxes until 2022, but there have been several cases of rabies in bats in the last 15 years. Kingsley said Bullhead had cases of rabies from local bats in 2007, 2010 and 2014, and Lake Havasu reported cases in 2014 and 2019.

Kingsley said Mojave County has not recorded any human rabies cases or deaths.

Interestingly, no bats have tested positive near Kingman, where all recent fox rabies incidents have been observed.

But Kingsley said the virus was now confirmed in several foxes, posing a risk of rabies spreading among wildlife such as foxes, skunks and coyotes in the region.

“Often these cases tend to stay within their species and burn out, but the potential for an epidemic cannot be discounted or ignored,” Kingsley said. “In previous bat cases, bats may have been infected by foxes. Arizona fish and game will continue to be monitored in accordance with training.”