WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — A rabid fox attacked two adults on Latham Works Lane in downtown White River Junction on Saturday, Hartford’s health officer said Tuesday.

The fox attacked the people; biting one and touching the other. Both people are undergoing treatment for rabies, Brett Mayfield, the town health officer, said.

After being attacked by the fox, the people called the police. A state game warden later captured the animal and transported it to the Vermont Department of Health, or VDH, where it tested positive for rabies.

The town of Hartford is not doing further surveillance for rabid animals because “in the Upper Valley we have lots of wild animals,” Mayfield said.

The fox was the first animal to test positive for rabies in Hartford this year. Twenty-one rabid animals have been identified statewide since January, including two in Bradford and one in Vershire, according to reporting from the VDH. The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services publishes a rabies report annually at the end of the year.

The town warned residents in a Facebook post that the exposure “serves as a reminder to all of us” to take preventive steps to prevent rabies, including not touching wild animals, reporting any sick or injured wildlife to a game warden, and keeping pets up to date on vaccinations.

“If you see a wild animal acting suspicious always call it in, either (to) the police or the health officer,” Mayfield said.

Rabies is a deadly disease spread in mammals, including humans, through infected saliva or scratches. Rabid animals often act strangely, such as by being unusually aggressive.