Is rabies making a comeback?
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
In many parts of the world, rabies is a disease that is spread primarily by dogs.
PHOTO: ATUL LOKE/NYTIMES
Emily Anthes
- Rabies is still a threat in the United States, with unusual animal outbreaks and a CDC alert about “local increases in human rabies exposures”.
- Experts say it is unclear if risk is rising nationwide, but wildlife variants, habitat change and vaccine scepticism may be increasing danger.
- Public health capacity has weakened after CDC staff cuts and test pauses, making it harder to track and respond to outbreaks quickly.
AI generated
In the United States, rabies can seem like a disease of the past, a remote risk caused by a mostly vanquished virus. But in recent months, this ancient foe has returned to the spotlight.
A handful of unusual outbreaks have made headlines: rabid beavers at a Maryland state park, a cluster of goat cases at a North Carolina petting zoo. Officials in several states, including Idaho and Alabama, flagged surges in animal cases; California set an annual record for rabid bats.