Burlington Police today announced Tuesday that a rabid skunk bit a “reportedly homeless” man last week.
According to the police, the man went to the emergency room at Fletcher Allen Health Care and said he’d been bitten. The man “was able to kill the skunk and it was later brought to the Vermont Health Department for rabies testing.”
When the tests came back positive, police had to find the man and bring him back to the emergency room for rabies treatment. Police refused to comment on his current condition. Because they were releasing medical information about the man, police said they could not share his name.
Burlington Police caution residents to avoid wild animals and make sure their domestic animals are vaccinated. Vaccination and registration are required for all dogs in the city, police said.
The Vermont Department of Health information page on rabies can be found here.