While vacationing with my family in late March 2019, I watched a television news announcer report on rabies in an Orlando, Florida, neighborhood. He provided few details.
His news report left me wondering. Was it a rabid skunk, bat, raccoon, or other wild animal? Or, was it a domestic dog, cat, or other pet? How close was the rabid animal to where we were staying? Should I be concerned? What should I do if anything?
In mid-August 2019, our local newspaper, The Coloradoan, reported a house cat tested positive for rabies; it was just east of the Colorado State University campus in Fort Collins.
Such news reports are not uncommon. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports about 5,000 animals test positive in the United States each year. In 2017 the CDC reported 4,454 cases of rabies in Puerto Rico and 49 states. About 9 percent were domestic animals—dogs, cats, cattle, and mules (most likely infected by a rabid raccoon, skunk, bat or fox). The other 91 percent of cases of rabies were wildlife. About 33 percent were bats, 29 percent were raccoons, 22 percent were skunks, and 7
percent were foxes.
Where does rabies occur in the United States?
The CDC reports
Bats with rabies have been found in every state except for Hawaii. Skunks with rabies have been found in parts of California, the Midwest, Texas, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Raccoons with rabies have been found in the South and Eastern states. Foxes with rabies have been found in Alaska, Arizona, and New Mexico. Foxes and skunks with rabies have been found in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. Mongooses with rabies have been found in Puerto Rico. See the CDC’s colored map at
1https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/rabies/index.html Accessed 31 July 2019
To find out if rabid animals are found in your area, check your local health department website or call your health department.
I live in Larimer County, Colorado, about 60 miles north of Denver. The Larimer County Department of Health and Environment website provides a map of rabies cases in Larimer County for every year since 2012. Each annual map shows icons for the species tested positive, each rabid animal’s location—where found, and the date tested.
Here’s a link to the 2019 map:
https://www.larimer.org/health/communicable-disease/rabies/map-positive-rabies-animals#/map/2019
As of September 17, 2019, 41 skunks, ten bats, one cat, one cow, and one camelid (camel, alpaca, lama, or related species) had tested positive for rabies since January 1, 2019. The rabid cow, rabid cat and rabid camelid were, most likely, a cross-over rabies infections. A rabid skunk or bat probably bit or scratched and infected them. A rabid skunk or bat may have infected the cat.
Checking our immediate area on the map, I found one rabid skunk was a 5-minute walk from our house. Another rabid skunk was about a mile northwest of our house.
The Department website allows readers to scroll through the annual maps from 2012 to 2019. The type of animals testing positive for rabies and their location in Larimer County varied widely from year to year.
In 2012, 11 bats, 35 skunks, two bison, and one raccoon tested positive for rabies. In 2013, ten bats, 35 skunks, three raccoon, three foxes, and one cat tested positive for rabies. In 2014, eight bats and one skunk tested positive for rabies. In 2015, 14 bats tested positive for rabies. In 2016, 12 bats tested positive for rabies. In 2017, seven bats and one skunk tested positive for rabies. In 2018, six bats, 45 skunks, and one coyote tested positive for rabies.
The Larimer County Department website cautions that not all animals in the county have been tested for rabies and that rabid animals may show up in other areas.
When viewing other health department websites, look for the cautions and limitations of the reports.
The CDC recommends that people leave wildlife alone, don’t touch injured or abandoned wildlife, vaccinate pets, and don’t pick up or handle dead animals.
If you or someone you know is bitten or scratched, immediately talk to a doctor—i.e., health care provider, about risks of rabies and possible treatments.
Blog # 3 will explain how to protect yourself and children from rabies.
Resources
1https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/rabies/index.html Accessed 31 July 2019
2. Pieracci E.G., Pearson C.M., Wallace R.M., et al. Vital Signs: Trends in Human Rabies Deaths and Exposures — United States, 1938–2018. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2019;68:524–528. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6823e1external icon.
Future Blogs
Blog # 3 How to Protect Yourself and Your Children from Rabies
Blog # 4. If You’re Exposed to Rabies
Past Blogs
Blog # 1. A Closer Look at Rabies 9 March 2019