Amador County - A fox that bit a child in neighboring El Dorado County tested positive for the rabies virus, according to El Dorado health officials. The child was bitten in Cameron Park, which straddles the northern border of Amador County. The child is currently in the care of doctors and receiving a vaccine to prevent rabies. A Cameron park resident contacted Animal Control Services Tuesday after discovering a dead fox. The child’s caregiver subsequently confirmed that it was the same animal that had bit the child while playing in the same location on March 12. This marks the first positive test for rabies in the local region this year. In 2008, a total of 178 animals found in California tested positive for rabies, including six in Amador County, six in Placer County, eight in Sacramento County and one in El Dorado County, according to the news release. They included 31 skunks, 137 bats, nine foxes and one cat. In May of 2008, two rabid skunks in Jackson exposed a number of dogs and livestock to the disease. “With only 2 rabid skunks reported in the past 10 years, we have concerns there are many more rabid skunks that we don’t know about and there will be more potential opportunities for people and their animals to be exposed,” says Dr. Robert Hartmann, Amador County Health Officer. He said prevention is the best weapon for protection against exposure to rabies. Protection would include: keeping your dog and/or cat’s rabies vaccinations up to date, avoiding exposure to wild animals for both yourself and your animals, and not feeding wild animals and keeping your dog and cat feeding bowls away from wild life access. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.