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Swooping bats, attacking beavers and wild raccoons: US rabies cases rose 17 percent this summer
Developing
In Short: U.S. rabies cases have surged this summer, rising by 17 percent compared to the same period last year, according to a new federal advisory.
U.S. rabies cases have surged this summer, rising by 17 percent compared to the same period last year, according to a new federal advisory.
This increase is particularly concerning given that typically, there are around 4,000 cases of human infections of the potentially deadly virus in the United States every year.
National Park Service officials reported that 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.
What's still developing
- Reports of rabid raccoons have ballooned in New York this summer and New York City data shows close to 20 cases across the boroughs since June.
- “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.
- People contract rabies after they are bitten or scratched by an infected animal, which is most commonly a bat, fox, skunk or raccoon.
- 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.
Sources
- The Independentlink