SUMTER, S.C. (AP) -- South Carolina health officials say people in Kershaw and Sumter counties were exposed to rabies last week after coming in contact with infected animals.
The Department of Health and Environmental Control says a man was attacked last weekend by a fox that came to a pool in Rembert to get a drink.
Authorities say the fox stole a man's hat from the pool, then bit his foot as he tried to get the hat back.
In Kershaw County, a mother and her two children are getting treatment after a kitten that tested positive for rabies scratched them after they found the animal under their vehicle.
DHEC says 44 cases of rabies have been confirmed in South Carolina this year, compared to 106 cases in all of 2010.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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