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Rabies continues to be a threat in the United States – a person treated every 10 minutes for possible exposure to the virus – and bats are now the main source of human cases in the United States, according to a report. Vital signs report published today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
"The United States has seen dramatic upheavals in which animals are most exposed to human rabies," said Anne Schuchat, MD, deputy chief director of the CDC, during a press briefing.
Before 1960, rabid dog bites were the cause of most cases of human rabies in the United States. But the mbad pet vaccination programs and leas laws adopted in the 1950s have significantly reduced rabies in dogs.
Currently, the United States has an average of one to three cases of human rabies per year, compared with 30 to 50 per year in the 1940s, mainly due to routine pet vaccination and the availability of post-natal prophylaxis. exposure (PEP), explained Schuchat.
"As of 2015, the number of rabid bats reported has exceeded for the first time the number of rabid raccoons, and the gap has since widened," Schuchat said.
Bats accounted for about 32% of the 5,000 rabid animals tested in 2017, compared with 28% for raccoons, she noted. "In the United States, although bats account for about one third of the reported rabid animals, they are responsible for more than two-thirds of rabies deaths in humans." In other words, 7 out of 10 Americans died from rabies in the United States infected with bats. "
Bat bites "may go unnoticed"
In their Vital signs report, Emily Pieracci, CDC veterinarian, and colleagues report that between 1960 and 2018, a total of 125 human rabies cases were reported in the United States; 36 (28%) were attributed to dog bites on international trips. Of the 89 infections contracted in the United States, 62 (70%) were attributed to bats. In 2018, about 55,000 people sought PEP after being in contact with a potentially rabid animal.
"We want these vital signs [report] raise awareness about specific risks of rabies, "said Schuchat.
"People may not realize that bats are rabies and therefore can not see their doctor after touching or manipulating a dead bat once the symptoms begin," he said. Schuchat.
"Bats play a critical role in our ecosystem, and it is important [that] People know that most bats in the United States are not rabid, "Pieracci said in a press release. The problem arises when people try to manage bats that they think are healthy, because you can not really tell if an animal has rabies when looking at it. The best advice is to avoid contact with bats – and other wildlife – to protect yourself from rabies. "
MMWR. Posted on June 12, 2019. Full text
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