July 2019 AST Magazine AST July 2019 Magazine | Page 22
As
dog rabies declined, rabies in Protecting against
www.AmericanSecurityToday.com
rabies
July 2019
- Edition 35
bats, raccoons, foxes, and skunks
Staying away from wildlife, es-
became more apparent.
pecially bats, is key to preventing
These animals have remained the rabies in people.
primary hosts of the virus in the
U.S., although any mammal – in-
cluding unvaccinated dogs and
cats – can get rabies if bitten by
another animal that is rabid.
Bats carry rabies virus in every U.S.
state except Hawaii, and can spread
the virus year-round.
However, anecdotal case reports sug-
gest that people may not be fully
aware that bats pose a rabies risk
Some animals that people may think – and so they may not seek life-sav-
spread rabies – like opossums and ing rabies PEP if they are bitten or
scratched by a bat.
squirrels – rarely do.
“Reducing rabies in dogs is
a remarkable achievement
of the U.S. public health
system, but with this dead-
ly disease still present in
thousands of wild animals,
it’s important that Ameri-
cans are aware of the risk,”
said CDC Director Robert R.
Redfield, M.D. “Rabies is
almost universally fatal,
and preventable if people
know what to do if bitten or
scratched by an animal.”
Robert R. Redfield, M.D., CDC Director
20