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Worldwide, approximately 15,000 cases of human
rabies continue to occur annually. Remarkably, although more than
one million persons in the United States are bitten each year by
animals, on average, only one or two persons die from the disease
each year. Nevertheless, with the continued encroachment of humans
on animal habitats, both for housing and recreational purposes,
rabies remains a public health concern.
Both domestic and wild animals may transmit
rabies. With the widespread vaccination of domesticated animals in
the United States, dogs in particular, the number of cases of rabies
has significantly declined. In 1955 domesticated animals, especially
dogs, constituted 47% of the reported rabies cases. By 1994, fewer
than 2% of positive tests occurred in dogs. In fact, in the 1990s,
cats outnumbered dogs as transmitters of the disease. As of 1997,
most cases of rabies are in wild animals, particularly bats,
raccoons, skunks, foxes, wolves, and coyotes.
Anyone who has been bitten by an animal,
regardless of age or sex, can contract rabies. However, people whose
occupations involve routine exposure to a domestic animal that has
not been immunized or to wildlife are at a greater risk for getting
the disease. As a result, cave explorers, farm and ranch workers,
animal trainers and caretakers, forest rangers, animal exterminators,
some laboratory workers, and veterinarians are at a higher risk. |
