ATLANTA — Officials are warning the community about feral animals on Georgia Tech's campus after a fox that injured two students tested positive for rabies.
Last week, three students encountered a fox on the pathway behind the Molecular Science and Engineering (MOSE) Building near the Georgia Tech Track and Field facility. Two were injured during the encounter, officials said in a news release.
Over the weekend, another student had a similar run-in with a different fox in the same area. That fox has not been captured and campus officials believe there could be several others and all of them could carry rabies.
Abi Lewal immediately found a new route to get to class when she learned that a rabid fox attacked students.
"A friend of mine in my research group said he saw one of the foxes around here so I decided to take the long way so we wouldn’t be accosted by whatever fox was over here," Lewal said.
In the news release, officials stressed seeking medical treatment to anyone who may encounter a potentially rabid animal:
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"It is critically important to seek medical treatment after an encounter with a potentially rabid animal. Early symptoms of rabies in humans are non-specific and may include fever, headache, and fatigue. Left untreated the virus can cause difficulty swallowing, paralysis, and even death. These symptoms may never occur or may occur only at the very last stages of the disease."
The injured students are still being treated.