Outbreaks of rabies seem to be rising across the U.S., CDC surveillance shows The CDC's rabies team says it's tracking 1 [View all]

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Outbreaks of rabies seem to be rising across the U.S., CDC surveillance shows
The CDC's rabies team says it's tracking 15 different likely outbreaks from New York to Oregon.

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/rabies-outbreaks-rising-us-deaths-vaccine-rcna227771?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us

Aug. 31, 2025, 4:00 AM CDT

By Marina Kopf, Linda Carroll and Anne Thompson

Six deaths from rabies have been reported over the last 12 months in the U.S., the highest number in years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. From rabid skunks in Kentucky to gray foxes in Arizona and raccoons on Long Island, wild animals in more than a dozen places across the U.S. have experienced a rise in the deadly disease, at least partly driven by shrinking natural habitats and better surveillance.

“We are currently tracking 15 different likely outbreaks,” said Dr. Ryan Wallace, who leads the rabies team at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Areas with outbreaks include Nassau County, New York, which issued a health threat over rabid animals last month, as well as Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and parts of Alaska, Arizona, California, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, North Carolina, Oregon and Vermont.

“There are parts of the United States where it does seem like we’re getting more calls and more reports,” Wallace said, noting an increase in rabid foxes in the West and rabid bats across the country. “Whether those numbers are truly significant increases, we can only tell at the end of the year. But right now, at peak rabies season, it does seem like activity is higher.”

Rabies is present in all states except Hawaii. Bats are the most common cause of rabies infection in people and are also the most likely species to be infected with the virus, according to the CDC.

Each year, 1.4 million Americans are checked for possible exposure to the rabies virus and 100,000 receive a series of vaccine injections to prevent them from becoming ill, according to the CDC............................................

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New warning as rabies cases rise nationwide