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