An Arctic fox found at Alkepynten, Svalbard, has tested positive for rabies, the Norwegian Veterinary Institute reports.
In early July, a group found a sick polar fox in Sundbukta near Longyearbyen, and the Governor’s office was notified.
Three foxes in Hooper Bay have tested positive for rabies, prompting health officials to urge pet owners to vaccinate their animals and stay alert for signs of the disease.
The Government of Nunavut says two foxes in the territory have recently tested positive for rabies — one in Coral Harbour and one in Chesterfield Inlet.
After a second fox tested positive for rabies in Igloolik, Nunavut health officials are once again urging anyone who has been bitten by a fox or a dog to go immediately to their local health centre.
The head of Alaska’s Wildlife Disease and Health Surveillance Program confirms that the City of Nome has a higher than normal case count of rabies in the red fox population. Usually in winter, most of the cases come from Prudhoe Bay and Utqiagvik. This winter most of the cases are from Nome, as well as from Kivalina and other villages around Kotzebue.
After two foxes tested positive for rabies in Tuktoyaktuk, N.W.T., health officials are advising anyone who has come in contact with a fox to contact the local health centre and report the incident immediately.
Svalbardposten
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