By Mike Stucka
Staff writer
May 17, 2008 06:00 am SWAMPSCOTT — A day after learning the raccoon that bit her was rabid, crossing guard Judith Hapgood assuaged the fears of the Clarke School students she normally tries to shelter from commonplace hazards like traffic. "They said I was a hero for taking the bite for them," Hapgood said of the letters sent by two Clarke School classes of third-grade students, whom she visited yesterday. The Swampscott Health Department announced late Thursday that the raccoon had tested positive for rabies. The animal bit Hapgood's thigh Tuesday, shortly before the students were scheduled to go home. Police shot the raccoon across the street from the school. Hapgood was already undergoing a series of rabies shots and taking antibiotics from Tuesday's attack by the raccoon, a species that is normally active at night. She returned to work Thursday, saying it was better to move around a lot — as when she was helping the children cross — than having her leg get stiff. Hapgood said she'd tried to answer students' questions when she was helping them cross, but went into the classrooms to try to ease all of their fears. "I went into the classes today and told them how much I enjoyed their letters," she said. "I answered a few questions they had, anything that puzzled them. The kids were scared, and they were worried about me. I just wanted to set their minds at ease." Hapgood had her own fears. She'd heard that rabies shots were painful and to the stomach. She took another rabies shot yesterday in her shoulder and will take another one Tuesday and two more weekly shots after that. She said she wasn't worried. "As long as I get all the proper shots at the proper times, I should be fine," she said. Tuesday's wound is even starting to heal nicely. Essex County had no confirmed cases of rabies in the first quarter of 2008, according to a Massachusetts Department of Public Health report. In 2007, state officials confirmed rabies in 19 of 305 animals sent for testing. It wasn't clear yesterday whether any other animals locally had tested positive for rabies in the last two months. Swampscott Public Health Director Jeff Vaughan said that "risk reduction and education regarding wild animals for adults, pet owners and especially children is the most important issue at this point." Vaughan said people should keep a safe distance from wildlife and stray animals, which they shouldn't feed. Dogs and cats should be vaccinated, while trash can lids should be tight. Children should be taught to avoid wildlife and strays. Animals with rabies can appear aggressive, normal or meek. The animals' behavior isn't a reliable guide to whether it has rabies, so people should avoid all the wildlife, particularly bats, skunks, foxes and raccoons, Vaughan said. For her part, Hapgood hopes things quiet down soon. "Other than the fact there was a rabid raccoon, the rest of it seems to be really overly dramatized," she said.
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