Rep. Ami Bera is attacked!

[brooklynite]

Link to tweet

[hlthe2b]

1. A truly unprovoked attack requires capture and testing for rabies.

I hope someone has enough sense to contact DC health department.

[Sogo]

3. Exactly.

Especially when a bite is involved.

He really ought to be seeking medical attention pronto!

[PoliticAverse]

4. Indeed. Reminder - there is no cure for rabies once a person has symptoms.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/rabies/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20351826

[Brother Buzz]

5. I believe Dr Ami Bera is ahead of the curve on this one

[hlthe2b]

9. They certainly should know the ramifications, but not the public health procedures for notification.

Guess what. If that animal is not tested and if the public health department can not ascertain risk then someone bitten may well be paying for post-exposure prophylaxis on their own dime and it "ain't" cheap.

Insurance companies frequently get out of paying if proper procedures to document and thus protect the public's health as well are not followed. And, no. The average physician does not frequently know what the public health department does and must do.

[Brother Buzz]

11. The red fox has been captured so it can be tested

UPDATE: The red fox believed to have attacked people on U.S. Capitol grounds this week has been captured, the U.S. Capitol Police confirmed Tuesday afternoon.




https://www.kiro7.com/news/trending/red-fox-encounters-us-capitol-prompt-official-alert/4AZCRTR44BD3NNIDGBGIG4X2CE/

[hlthe2b]

14. Good. Though it is sad that if she has young that she was protecting it will be misconstrued

as "unprovoked" despite being likely NOT. And she will be sacrificed for testing. That is why Health Departments/Animal Control investigates the full circumstances behind the bite.

[BlackSkimmer]

15. I know. That's sad. She'll be killed.

I hope someone looks for the babies.

[cally]

20. Said it would be relocated

[BlackSkimmer]

31. The test for rabies is fatal to the animal being tested.

[Mariana]

26. I hope the babies don't also have rabies

considering that they almost certainly had frequent contact with her infected saliva.

[Mariana]

25. Foxes don't normally attack people who walk near their babies.

There would be a great many fox bites every spring if that were normal, since they often nest near homes and other buildings. That doesn't happen because foxes aren't aggressive, even when they have babies, so fox bites are rare. If a fox attacks a person, there's a high chance it has rabies - and this fox did it again and again.

[hlthe2b]

29. Neither do raccoons, but they can & occasionally do.

Rabies is always high on the rule-out list for aggression and any neurological abnormalities in wild canids.

[Mariana]

30. Occasionally, yes.

Same as with a fox, a raccoon that bites a person, if it can be captured, should be euthanized and tested for rabies as soon as possible.

[cally]

21. In twitter thread, he is getting rabies shots

Even thought bite did not break skin so he was reluctant but agreed to treatment.

[Demsrule86]

16. You could never be sure you got the right fox...the vaccine should be given.

[hlthe2b]

19. Only if there was evidence of a truly unprovoked attack, the incidence of wildlife rabies was

at least nonzero in the immediate area within the past several years--and yes, in this area of DC and in Northern VA, there is a risk of rabies and foxes are certainly highly susceptible. It is not a given, however, that even a wild animal susceptible to rabies who bites after human provocation would automatically be assumed to be a high-risk encounter and it is possible the animal in some jurisdictions would be observed under quarantine (albeit the cost-benefit of euthanizing and testing might win out). This is a known group of foxes so my guess is they will go back to collect them all. whether they will sacrifice one or more or merely observe will be up to public health.


While an individual could elect to receive PEP regardless, they would be paying for it in most cases (with insurance refusing) if there was not a public health-established risk. This frequently happens in areas with low rabies risk or from an encounter with an animal (e.g., rabbit, squirrel, rodent, gopher, mole) at very very low risk for rabies. Obviously, the individual being a congressperson with the best insurance available to a human being in this country would not have to worry about it. But we ordinary mortals would. I have had to deal with fellow ER docs refusing to call public health/animal control about his kind of thing and this is the very situation that develops when you don't. Not to mention a potentially rabid animal being allowed to present a risk to others.

I encourage you to read the current guidelines that CDC reviews every year with ACIP and which every health department in the country uses to prevent and respond to rabies risks. The most current published summary of the overall recommendations follows. A revision of PEP guidlelines follows.

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/rr/rr5703.pdf

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/pdf/rr/rr5902.pdf

[PoliticAverse]

23. It was captured, reportedly euthanized and has tested positive for rabies. n/t

[hlthe2b]

24. Yes.

[Deep State Witch]

2. A Rabid Fox?

Let's name it Tucker Carlson!

[2naSalit]

7. DUzy!

[gopiscrap]

8. perfect!!!

[doc03]

6. At first thought this was the Onion, never heard of a

fox attacking a human. He better get rabies shots.

[Mariana]

27. If a fox attacks humans, then it is showing signs of rabies.

There have been some people who think this fox should have been "monitored" instead of euthanized and tested immediately. But it was already acting like it was rabid even before it was caught.

[Deep State Witch]

10. Aggressive Fox on Capitol Hill

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/aggressive-fox-reported-near-us-capitol/3017247/?_osource=SocialFlowFB_DCBrand&fbclid=IwAR1pjg4fECP_dv8oNsHIRJ8kHFzuGRtA8jT_GJ7_PPwIyorwe3VzZO1rDaY

Beware of foxes near the Capitol, authorities warned.

U.S. Capitol Police have received “several reports of aggressive fox encounters on or near the grounds of the U.S. Capitol,” the department said Tuesday.

If you see a fox, don't approach it, they advised.

[milestogo]

12. It was Cawthorn.

[A HERETIC I AM]

18. Or a Spirit animal of Newt Gingrich!

[brooklynite]

13. Breaking: Fox has been captured.

Link to tweet

[Mr. Ected]

17. Looks like none of us can escape fox news, even here on DU

*I'll let myself out*

[PoliticAverse]

22. Fox was captured and reportedly has tested positive for rabies. n/t

[Mariana]

28. Poor thing. I'm glad she's no longer suffering. nt.