Prophylaxis Still Essential After Rabies Exposure

Wild Animals Pose Main Threat in U.S.

Dogs are the first animal that comes to mind when most people think about rabies, but Dr. Seltz said they are not much of a threat in the United States.

In 2004, only 94 rabid dogs were reported in this country, according to Dr. Seltz. Among domestic animals, there were more cases of rabid cats and rabid cattle: 281 and 115 animals, respectively.

Dog bites do account for most of the 50,000 human rabies cases worldwide each year, he said. In the United States, however, 92%–94% of animal rabies comes from wild animals.

The largest concentration of infected animals has been identified to date on the East Coast, Dr. Seltz said. Nationwide, in 2004, there were 2,400 rabid raccoons, 1,800 skunks and 1,300 bats.

Although rabid bats are far less common than rabid raccoons, Dr. Seltz said that they are more dispersed and more likely to come in contact with people. Hence, rabid bats are most often implicated in human infections. Squirrels are rarely found to be rabid, he said, as they generally do not survive the initial attack of a rabid animal.

Rabies has been found throughout the country, Dr. Seltz continued, except for Hawaii. It is the only state with no reports.

In Arizona, where Dr. Seltz practices and where the meeting took place, he said there were 169 cases of animal rabies in 2005—the most ever recorded. These rabid animals included 84 bats, 67 skunks, 12 foxes, 2 bobcats, and 1 racoon.