Your Health Today
CDC Warns of Nationwide Increase in Rabies Exposures
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning about an increase in reported human exposures to rabid or potentially rabid animals across the United States.
In a health advisory issued September 10, the CDC said it received 17% more rabies-related inquiries from July through August 2026 than during the same period last year. The agency also received reports from at least eight state health departments of increased use of rabies post-exposure prophylaxis, treatment errors, or both.
The CDC said multiple jurisdictions have reported local increases in exposures involving animals known to carry rabies, as well as species in which the disease is less commonly reported.
The agency recently highlighted several mass-exposure events, including an incident in North Carolina involving nearly 300 people who came into contact with rabid baby goats at a mobile petting zoo.
Rabies is a viral disease that primarily affects the central nervous system and is nearly 100% fatal once clinical symptoms develop. However, the CDC says infection can be prevented when appropriate post-exposure treatment is given before symptoms begin.
About 100,000 people receive rabies post-exposure treatment in the U.S. each year. The CDC said pharmacy data through September 2 showed use of rabies vaccines had increased an estimated 33% compared with the same period last year, while use of rabies immune globulin increased an estimated 76%. There is currently no shortage of rabies vaccine or immune globulin in the United States.
For people who have not previously been vaccinated against rabies, post-exposure treatment generally includes rabies immune globulin and four vaccine doses on days 0, 3, 7 and 14. People previously vaccinated against rabies generally receive two vaccine doses three days apart and do not receive immune globulin.
The CDC emphasizes that treatment decisions should be based on an assessment of the specific exposure. In some situations, treatment may not be necessary if an animal can be safely observed for 10 days, tests negative for rabies, or public health officials determine there was no meaningful risk.
If someone may have been exposed, the CDC recommends immediately washing bites or scratches with soap and water for 15 minutes and contacting a medical professional or public health official to assess whether treatment is needed.
In the United States, more than 90% of reported animal rabies cases occur in wildlife, including bats, raccoons, skunks and foxes. The CDC says contact with infected bats is the leading cause of human rabies deaths in the country.
The agency recommends keeping pets current on rabies vaccinations, avoiding contact with wildlife and contacting animal control when stray or potentially sick animals are present.
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By: CNN Newsource
September 11, 2026
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