Oneida County rabies cases up 75% as health officials seek people exposed to a Rome fox

Oneida County has confirmed more rabid animals this year than it had at this point in 2025, and county health officials are asking anyone who may have touched a fox found in Rome over the weekend to call them.

The county has logged 14 confirmed rabies cases so far in 2026, compared with eight by this time last year, a 75% increase, WKTV reported Tuesday.

The Rome fox

The latest case is a fox found Sunday, Nov. 8, in the area around Stevens Field and West Thomas and West Embargo streets in Rome. It tested positive for rabies, and the Oneida County Health Department said in a release dated Nov. 10 that it “may have exposed numerous people.”

Anyone who had contact with the fox is asked to call the health department at 315-798-5064 to talk through the exposure and whether treatment is needed. “Rabies is preventable but 100% fatal if it is left untreated,” the department said.

The department also reported a rabid raccoon in the town of Lee, according to the Rome Sentinel. That animal was already dead when someone handled it. Officials noted that the virus spreads through saliva and other bodily fluids and can still be passed on after an animal dies.

Closer to home

The county’s release log shows how widely the cases are spread. A raccoon in Deansboro, just south of Clinton in the town of Marshall, tested positive on Oct. 14 after it was sent to the state Health Department’s Wadsworth Center lab in Albany. One cat was exposed, and it had been vaccinated. On Nov. 4, a raccoon in Vernon tested positive; two dogs that were exposed got booster shots. In September, a bat in South Utica tested positive, and one person who was exposed began post-exposure treatment.

The county’s public health director, Dan Gilmore, told WKTV that the long, warm fall is one reason for the jump. Mild weather keeps people and animals outdoors longer, which means more chances for them to cross paths.

Gilmore also said exposure is not limited to bites. “It could be, say, a cat. A cat licks its paws often, and dogs also lick their paws often,” he said. A pet that tangles with a rabid animal can carry saliva on its fur or paws, and an owner can be exposed by handling the pet afterward.

What to do

If you or a pet may have touched a wild animal, especially one acting strangely or found dead, call the health department rather than waiting to see whether symptoms develop. Treatment after an exposure works when it is started promptly. Once symptoms of rabies appear, the disease is almost always fatal.

New York law requires dogs, cats and domestic ferrets to be vaccinated against rabies. Owners who are behind on shots can check the county health department’s site for clinic dates; the department runs clinics in Utica and Rome.

For a sick, injured or dead wild animal, the Rome Sentinel listed several options: a nuisance wildlife control operator or wildlife rehabilitator licensed by the state Department of Environmental Conservation, the DEC’s hotline at 1-844-332-3267, an environmental conservation officer, or local police. Residents should not try to capture or move the animal themselves.

Raccoons, bats, foxes and skunks account for most rabies cases in New York. Health officials generally advise keeping pets indoors at night, feeding them inside, and keeping garbage cans tightly closed so wildlife isn’t drawn into yards. Anyone who wakes to find a bat in a bedroom should call the health department even without a visible bite, because bat bites can be very small.

The health department is still asking the public for help finding anyone who may have been exposed to the Rome fox.