Man, stepson face rounds of shots to ward off rabies

The boy was attacked in his garage early Monday and the stepfather was bitten when he came to his son's aid.

By JACKIE RIPLEY

© St. Petersburg Times, published November 3, 2000

CITRUS PARK -- First came the frightening attack. Now the Meagher household must contend with rabies shots and worrying about the family pets.

Shawn Meagher and his stepson, Aaron Alexia, were bitten by a rabid fox Monday morning outside the family's home on Citrus Park Lane. The inoculations they now must undergo, to prevent the disease, will continue until the middle of this month.

Meagher, 28, and Aaron, 12, must each receive five sets of shots every three days, to be administered two at a time, Carole Meagher said.

The shots, which now are given in the arm and hip instead of belly button, would normally have cost the family $,2500 because they do not have health insurance, however, Carole Meagher said the state offered to help defray the cost.

"Aaron stayed home from school (Wednesday) because he was a little sore," Carole Meagher said.

The family also was cautioned to keep an eye on their dog and two cats.

"We're watching them," Carole Meagher said. "We're a little bit worried the rabies might have gotten into the other animals."

Surrounded by 3 acres of woods, the Meagher home sits across the street from Citrus Park Town Center. Aaron was bitten about 6:45 a.m. Monday while retrieving his laundry from the garage. A small fox moved toward him and, fearful it would get his cat, he fired off a round from his BB gun hoping to scare the animal away. Instead, the fox bit the boy several times.

Aaron's screams alerted Meagher, 28, who ran outside and hit the fox with a shovel until it ran under the house. The fox came out long enough to bite Meagher on the ankle as he tended to his son.

"More than likely it was an isolated incident," said Dennis McCullough, a supervisor with Hillsborough County Animal Services. "It's not an indication of any kind of outbreak."

While Carole Meagher called Animal Services, some of Meagher's employees from Gemini Lawn Service prevented the animal from escaping. The fox was captured and destroyed.

Since January, Animal Services says that three raccoons and three foxes have tested positive for rabies. Also since January, the agency investigated 47 wild animal bites; of those, seven were fox.

"It's not commonplace, but it is something that occasionally does happen," McCullough said. In November, a rabid fox attacked a woman in Oldsmar. In April, 1999, a 15-pound fox attacked an elderly woman in Hernando County, pinning her down outside her mobile home for more than 12 hours before she was rescued. The woman died a few weeks later, and family members said she never recovered from the trauma of the attack.

Statewide, there were 186 cases of rabies reported last year, including eight in Hillsborough (six raccoons and two fox) and 11 in Pasco (four cats, a fox and six raccoons). Officials said the numbers are lower than actual cases because only animals that bite people or pets are tested.

Raccoons, fox, bats and skunks are carriers of rabies, which means they can be infected but not always show symptoms, McCullough said.

"Wildlife usually goes out of its way to stay away from people," McCullough said. "When wildlife approaches you, you need to take caution."

McCullough said not to approach animals that appear to be sick; instead, call animal services at 744-5660 or Florida Wildlife Fresh Water Fish and Game at (800) 282-8002.

- Jackie Ripley can be reached at (813) 226-3468 or ripley@sptimes.com.

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