Fairfield Woman Bitten by Rabid Skunk

A Sunnieholme Drive resident was bit by a rabid skunk in Fairfield earlier this month, Animal Control Officer Paul Miller reported Monday.

The woman was gardening in her yard -- located off of Beach Road -- when the skunk ambled out of the bushes and bit her. It was unclear where on her body the woman had been bitten.

Animal Control officers found the skunk in a chicken coop on the property. Responding police officers shot the animal, which was sent to the state's Department of Public Health lab for rabies testing.

The skunk tested positive for rabies and the woman is undergoing post-rabies exposure shots, which Miller said will provide her with effective protection against developing the disease.