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Rabid Skunk Bites 3-Year-Old Danvers Boy

DANVERS (CBS/AP) -- Health officials in Danvers say a skunk that bit a 3-year-old boy has tested positive for rabies.

Health director Peter Mirandi says testing confirmed Monday that the juvenile skunk that latched onto the boy's leg on Friday had rabies.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Bernice Corpuz reports

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The rabid skunk has raised concerns in the area.  Traps are being set up near the home on Maple Street in an attempt to catch any other skunks in the area.

WBZ-TV's Ken MacLeod reports

"This was a juvenile skunk, which means there may be other family members associated. And if they were exposed to it, we'd like to intervene," Mirandi told WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Bernice Corpuz.

The boy is undergoing treatment but is otherwise doing well.

Mirandi says the boy was in his back yard on Friday playing with friends when the skunk emerged from the shrubs and bit him.

The boy's parents had to kick the skunk away, then took the boy to the hospital.

The animal was found under the family's deck, captured and euthanized.

No names were released.

Rabies is a virus passed through saliva that infects the central nervous system.

(TM and © Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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