‘It didn’t bite me. It attacked me’: Beaufort County has most rabies cases in SC

Two people in the Bluffton area were exposed to rabies, and a fox tested positive for the disease on Tuesday, officials said in a news release.

The fox is the sixth animal in Beaufort County to test positive for rabies in 2018, according to the DHEC news release.

Beaufort County has the highest number of rabies cases in the state so far this year, DHEC data shows.

A notice from the Beaufort office of the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control was distributed on Wednesday to residents in the Westbury Park area saying that a fox from the area had tested positive for rabies the day before.

The notice from Lowcountry Environmental Affairs urged residents to use caution when dealing with wild or stray animals.

Tommy DeLong, a resident of Westbury Park, said he was one of two people bitten by different foxes last weekend in Bluffton.

He said he was riding his moped on Plantation Park Drive on Saturday evening when he saw a fox in the road.

“He saw me as I saw him,” DeLong said, explaining that his moped was still running, but the fox charged and started biting at its tire and latched onto the top of his ankle.

“It was so quick, there was really nothing I could do,” he said. “... It didn’t bite me. It attacked me. It was trying to inflict damage.”

DeLong, who explained that he was able to shake the fox off and kick it away, said he was bleeding profusely and was in shock.

After tending his wounds and going back to the scene, DeLong said he was unable to find the fox. Now, he is going through the rabies treatment process, which involves a series of injections over several weeks.

“Public awareness is the only way we will be able to combat this,” DeLong said. “I don’t want any child or any elderly person to have to go through this. I don’t want to have anyone have to put their dog down because of this.”

DHEC officials said one fox, killed after biting someone in the Westbury area over the weekend, was tested and found to have rabies.

Rabies is usually spread by a bite, said David Vaughan, director of DHEC’s rabies prevention program, but it also can be spread by saliva coming into contact with open wounds or a person’s eyes, nose or mouth.

“To reduce the risk of getting rabies, always give wild and stray animals their space. If you see an animal in need, avoid touching it, and contact someone trained in handling animals, such as your local animal control officer or wildlife rehabilitator,” Vaughan said in the DHEC news release.

Two previously reported rabies cases in Beaufort County involved a fox, including one case in early June. Another two cases involved raccoons.

One case sent multiple people to the doctor after a feral cat, which lived near a Beaufort tavern, was found to have rabies after a fight with a raccoon.

So far this year, there have been 46 confirmed cases of animal rabies statewide, according to DHEC. Last year, five of the state’s 63 confirmed rabies cases were in Beaufort County.

Keeping pets up to date on their vaccines is one of the most effective ways to protect yourself from rabies, according to DHEC, which says anyone exposed to an infected animal should seek medical attention and call the state agency to report the exposure.

In Beaufort County, the number to call is 843-846-1030 during business hours or 888-847-0902 otherwise.

DHEC reports that hundreds of people in South Carolina undergo preventive treatment for rabies every year because of exposure or potential exposure to the disease.

The average cost of that treatment is $10,000 in the state, the agency said.

This story was originally published July 19, 2018 at 10:17 AM.