Outbreaks of rabies seem to be rising across the U.S., CDC surveillance shows
The CDC's rabies team says it's tracking 15 different likely outbreaks from New York to Oregon.
Cannot fucking wait to see how the all-new & improved RFK CDC will handle all this.Rabies is present in all states except Hawaii. Bats are the most common cause of rabies infection in people ;and are also the most likely species to be infected with the virus, according to the CDC.[...]
The rabies virus invades the central nervous system and is almost always fatal once symptoms start. Early symptoms, which can begin about a week or up to a year after exposure, may resemble the flu and progress quickly to confusion, paralysis, salivating, hallucinations and difficulty swallowing, followed by death within weeks.
The number of human deaths over the last year is concerning, experts say. In comparison, from 2015 to 2024, 17 cases of human rabies were reported, two of which were contracted outside the U.S., according to the CDC.
People are most often exposed to the rabies virus through the saliva of an infected wild animal that can get into the mouth, eyes or a wound, which is why bites are so dangerous. Prior to the 1960s, most cases in humans were from infected pets, usually a dog. Thanks to strict pet vaccination laws, the canine strain of rabies has been eliminated from the U.S.
