Aug 02, 2019
Dr. Russell provide us with additional facts about rabies that we might not know?
Sure. Once the leading cause of human rabies deaths in the US, dogs are no longer as much of a risk, thanks to the use of rabies vaccines. Dogs are only 1% of rabid animals reported each year.
People might worry about rabies in animals that don’t often carry the virus, like opossums or squirrels. These animals rarely ever have rabies.
People may not recognize a scratch or bite from a bat, which can be smaller than the top of a pencil eraser. However, these types of contact can still spread rabies!
It’s not only in the woods – rabid animals can be found in people’s yards and homes too!
About 55,000 Americans get post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) each year to prevent rabies infection after being bitten or scratched by an infected or suspected infected animal.
This content was originally posted on the WDTV News website here.
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