more Wild animals He is infected with rabies, which poses a public health threat, officials warn him.
Approximately 75% of Americans are exposed to raccoons, skunks and foxes. This is a very wildlife that spreads deadly diseases to humans, generally according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The latest report from the CDC’s National Rabies Surveillance System, which monitors rabies trends in the United States, found that in 2023 wildlife cases had risen by 5% the previous year.
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“The CDC Rabies program is currently tracking 15 rabies Outbreak Event“CDC spokesman Paul Prince told Fox News Digital.
Nassau County in New York declared imminent Public Health We warned this summer after seeing 22 cases this year, compared to just six of them last year. This is more than three times more increase.
“These cases reflect a troubling revival of terrestrial rabies that has been successfully removed from Nassau County through coordinated intervention efforts since 2016,” Alyssa Zorabian, director of the Nassau County Communications Department, told Fox News Digital.
Rabies is a virus According to the CDC, it is transmitted to humans by biting or wounds from rabies animals.
It can take weeks or months to reach a diagnosis, as symptoms only occur after the infection has caused symptoms. Brain and spinal cord.
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However, severe illnesses often appear within two weeks of illness, causing confusion, agitation and hallucination.
People may initially feel that they have the flu, complaining of fever, headache, or weakness. Another clue is pain and numbness at the bite location.
“Classic Rabies” makes someone feel very thirsty and paradoxically panic in the form of liquid. Someone can produce a lot of saliva and sometimes show aggressive behavior.
Rabies is almost always fatal after symptoms, but almost 100% preventable.
After exposure to rabies, people should seek immediate prevention medical careknown as post-exposure prophylaxis, which involves thorough washing of wounds and receiving a rabies vaccination.
People can also receive neutralizing antibodies to combat infection, experts advise.
“The CDC attributes this, at least in part, to human translocation of animals into areas where rabies has been or has been in very low incidence,” Dr. Edward R. Rensimer, an infectious disease expert with expertise in rabies prevention, told Fox News Digital.
“This has prompted a rise in several states in fund allocations. Rabies vaccine Food placement for wildlife,” added Rencimer, who is also director of the International Medical Center in Houston, Texas.
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The Nassau County Department of Health has launched the first phase of its oral rabies vaccine bait program, which returned in fall 2024, with a second round in the spring and a third one this fall.
“If animal control and prevention of rabies efforts are reduced, it can always lead to an increase in the incidence of rabies in wild animals, and it can be tragic [for] Aaron Gratt, the chief of infectious diseases at Sinai Southern Nassau Mountain Hospital in Long Island, New York, is a human case.
“Fortunately, there are only a handful. Human Rabies Case There are effective vaccines reported annually and can be administered to patients after bites in at-risk animals. ”
A CDC spokesperson told Fox News Digital last year that six people died of rabies in the United States, and two people died in 2025.
“The recent incidents do not indicate the outbreak of human rabies in the nation, but rather remind us that rabies is still a public health threat in the US and abroad,” he added.
According to the CDC, more than 90% of reported rabies cases of rabies in animals come from wild animals.
Depending on where they live, Americans also have the risk of exposure to other wildlife.
“There are over 30 Different rabies viruses In the US, everything is related to wildlife, a CDC spokesman told Fox News Digital.
People living in the eastern US have some of the best risks of exposure to rabies from raccoons in the area.
Skunks are at high risk for rabies in the Midwest and Western United States, and foxes pose a risk to those living in Southwest Alaska and Alaska, according to the CDC.
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Rabies increased in Kentucky in 2024, rabies increased in 2025, and rabies emerged between foxes in Arizona and California in 2023, Rencimer added.
According to a CDC spokesman, rabies is present in wildlife in all states except Hawaii.
Only a small percentage of rabies cases in the US affect it livestockExperts say that dogs and cats, etc., it’s not outside the realm of possibilities.
“Pets that are primarily staying in the home may appear to be at a lower risk of acquiring rabies, but rabies wildlife can enter the home or backyard even if we are not looking,” a CDC spokesman warned.
“Our pets are more likely to interact with wildlife than we do, and often cannot tell us when they are exposed.”
James Gallow, communications director for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, told Fox News Digital that a stray dog and two stray cats tested positive for rabies this year in Philadelphia.
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It is important for experts to keep pets up to date vaccinations to protect their health and prevent human transmission. The experts agree.
The Nassau County Department of Health is working with the town of Oyster Bay to provide free rabies vaccinations Dogs, cats, ferrets To residents of all counties on Saturday, September 13th.
“The best way to avoid rabies is to stay away from wildlife,” Gratt reiterated.
