A series of unusual encounters between people and rabid animals, followed by a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advisory, has renewed concern about rabies. However, experts say it remains unclear whether the United States is experiencing a genuine rise in cases of the deadly disease.
In recent months, rabid beavers reportedly attacked three people in Maryland, while hundreds of visitors were potentially exposed to rabid goats at a North Carolina petting zoo. On 10 September, the CDC issued a health advisory “in response to recent reports of increases in human exposures to rabid or possibly rabid animals”.
It is not yet clear how many of these incidents involved confirmed rabies infections, rather than fears of exposure. Even so, experts say the heightened media attention and public awareness could help prevent future cases.
“Any time that the subject gets good coverage and people can learn a little bit about how they can be safe, I think that is a win for public health,” said Zak Mertz, CEO of the New England Wildlife Center.
Hundreds of people once died from rabies in the United States each year. Vaccination programs and animal-control measures have since dramatically reduced the toll, with fewer than 10 people typically dying from the disease annually, according to the CDC.
Still, the federal agency recorded 17% more rabies-related inquiries from July through August than during the same period last year. Those inquiries included reports of mass-exposure incidents. State health departments also told the CDC they had administered more post-exposure prophylaxis treatments following possible rabies contact.
In July, a wild skunk entered a pen holding baby goats at a farm in Harmony, North Carolina, CNN reported. Months later, hundreds of people had contact with the goats, at least some of which were found to have rabies. Local health officials monitored those who may have been exposed, and hundreds received preventive treatment. No related deaths have been reported.
In Maryland, a 13-year-old boy was swimming at a state park when a beaver attacked him. He survived, but required three surgeries to repair nerve damage to his chest and hands.
Asked whether the incidents shared a common cause, Meghan Davis, an associate professor of environmental health and engineering at Johns Hopkins University, said: “I think what we are seeing is a little bit of bad luck.”
The goats were too young to have received their vaccinations, while beavers only rarely contract rabies.
Despite major advances in prevention and treatment, rabies still occasionally proves fatal.
In 2011, Tonji Durant’s sister, Ivy, contacted animal control officials in South Carolina after discovering bats in her home. The officials did not advise her to seek medical evaluation or take other steps to protect herself, said Durant, a retired CDC epidemiologist.
Months later, Ivy developed flu-like symptoms, Durant said. Doctors tested her for rabies only after she became ill, and the result was positive. By the time symptoms appear, however, there is little physicians can do.
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“The older you get, the more you miss your siblings,” said Durant, who believes her sister’s death could have been prevented. “Communication is really critical. Clinicians working with state and local health departments; communities working with state and local health departments.”
Anyone concerned that they may have come into contact with a rabid animal should contact their state health department or healthcare provider, Mertz said.
Anyone bitten by an animal that could have rabies should immediately wash the wound thoroughly and seek medical care, Davis said.
“Don’t wait; seek help,” she said.
It’s also important for people to ensure that their pets’ vaccinations are up to date.
“Because [rabies] has largely been under control,” Davis said, “it doesn’t always reach the public eye.”
