Rabies-related inquiries rose 17% in July and August compared to last year, according to a new CDC health advisory, and the recent cases have been unusual. Nearly 300 people may have been exposed at a North Carolina petting zoo after three baby goats tested positive for rabies. In Maryland, two people were bitten by rabid beavers at Cunningham Falls State Park, forcing a partial shutdown. Officials also dealt with a suspected rabid animal attacking people in New Hampshire and a rabid bat found at Yosemite.
The treatment numbers tell their own story. Rabies vaccine use is up 33% and human rabies immunoglobulin up 76% compared to last September, with eight state health departments reporting higher post-exposure prophylaxis use. The CDC also warns that providers are making more errors in administering that treatment, including wrong injection sites and unnecessary restarts of the vaccine series. Those mistakes mean extra doses, extra side effects, and a bill that can reach $11,000 to $14,000 per person for a full course.
Closer to home, the Suncoast has plenty of rabies carriers: raccoons, bats, foxes, and the occasional coyote moving through neighborhoods and parks. Rabies is almost always fatal once symptoms appear, but it is preventable with prompt, correct treatment. If an animal bites or scratches you, wash the wound with soap and water for several minutes, contact your doctor or the Florida Department of Health right away, and follow their guidance on whether shots are needed. Have you ever had a run-in with a wild animal in your own backyard?
