UPDATE: Fox That Attacked Three People in Warner Robins Had Rabies

WARNER ROBINS, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – A fox that bit three people in Warner Robins had rabies.

According to the North Central Health District, the animal’s head was taken to a lab in Albany, GA where it tested positive for the disease.

Tabitha Pugh with the Warner Robins Police Department says a mother killed the fox after she caught it biting her child Thursday afternoon just before 5:30.

That same fox bit another woman on Ridgestone Drive in a separate incident earlier that day. The woman was treated at the Houston Medical Center for a bite on her leg.

The fox then traveled to Tranquil Point where a mother used a piece of wood to kill the animal after she and her child were bitten. The mother and child were both treated at the Medical Center of Central Georgia for minor injuries.

Pugh says wild animals are common in the area, especially with all of the woods, but attacks like this are unusual.

“It was unusual at this point because the fox actually came up to the people that it bit,” she said. “We’ve been told that is very unusual because normally they’re out at night so we were concerned about that.”

Health officials say all three victims will get two shots to help fight off the disease.

“There’s no further medication that kills the rabies virus anymore than it kills the West Nile virus,” Dr. David Harvey with the North Central Health District said. “Once its in you, its in  you and your body has to fight it off. So we’re trying to enhance the ability of the body to fight off the rabies virus.”

Warner Robins police believes the same fox attacked all three people. To be safe, animal traps have been placed in the areas. Officials are warning residents to never touch or feed wild animals.