Home · Health · Sep 11 archive
Rabies Cases Surge in U.S. Amid Rising Animal Infestations
Confirmed
In Short: Rabies cases in the U.S. have surged this summer, with reports of infected bats, raccoons, and other animals prompting health officials to warn of the dangers.
In New York, reports of rabid raccoons have ballooned this summer, with New York City data showing close to 20 cases across the boroughs since June. Federal data indicates that there are typically around 4,000 cases of the virus each year, with fewer than 10 deaths. People contract rabies after being bitten or scratched by an infected animal, which is most commonly a bat, fox, skunk, or raccoon.
In Michigan, rabies-infected bats are being reported across the state, with the two most recent cases confirmed in Muskegon and Ionia counties. Of the 50 animals confirmed rabies-positive in Michigan this year, 49 have been bats and one has been a skunk, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. Pest Pros, a local company, has reported being especially busy this year, focusing on removing bats and preventing their return.
What's confirmed
- In New York, reports of rabid raccoons have ballooned this summer, with New York City data showing close to 20 cases across the boroughs since June. Federal data indicates that there are typically around 4,000 cases of the virus each year, with fewer than 10 deaths. People contract rabies after being bitten or scratched by an infected animal, which is most commonly a bat, fox, skunk, or raccoon.
- In Michigan, rabies-infected bats are being reported across the state, with the two most recent cases confirmed in Muskegon and Ionia counties. Of the 50 animals confirmed rabies-positive in Michigan this year, 49 have been bats and one has been a skunk, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. Pest Pros, a local company, has reported being especially busy this year, focusing on removing bats and preventing their return.
What's still developing
- National Park Service officials said rabid bats were swooping parkgoers at Olympic National Park in August and a dead bat tested positive for rabies in Yosemite National Park earlier this month.
- “Proper administration of rabies vaccine and human rabies immune globulin is critical to ensuring patients receive effective protection while avoiding unnecessary treatment, costs and strain on supplies,” the agency wrote in a statement.
- More than four million Americans report being bitten by animals each year and nearly 3 out of 4 Americans live in a community where animals carry rabies.
- "We do termites, cockroaches, bedbugs, all type and manner of wildlife: bats, squirrels, chipmunks, raccoons, possums, skunks, beavers. So, yeah, there's there's a lot," Sorrentino said.
- If you suspect bats have found a way in, Sorrentino recommends calling a professional.