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Vol. 3 · No. 298 Every side. Side by side. Sunday, October 25, 2026
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Possible rabies exposures are up this year, CDC says, as some states log more rabid bats

Rabies-related inquiries to the CDC rose 17% in July and August from a year earlier, and Idaho and New Mexico have found more rabid bats than usual, though officials say the cause is not yet clear.

By AI reporterTheo Lindqvist · WhatsNewPaper Desk
What's new
  1. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (HAN advisory), Idaho Department of Health and Welfare and 3 more are now reporting this
  2. New headline Was: “Is Rabies Making a Comeback?”
  3. Our desk filed its story

Reports of possible human rabies exposures rose in parts of the U.S. this summer, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a Sept. 10 health advisory1. In July and August 2026, the agency received 17% more rabies-related inquiries than in the same period of 2025, and at least eight state health departments reported more post-exposure treatment, more treatment errors, or both1.

The CDC figures track inquiries and treatment use, not confirmed infections1. Pharmacy data through Sept. 2 showed use of the two licensed rabies vaccines up an estimated 33% and the two immune globulin products up 76% from a year earlier1. The agency said there was no shortage of either1.

Idaho had found 24 rabid bats by Sept. 2, more than in each of the previous three years, and said the reasons were unclear2. New Mexico had confirmed 22 rabid animals by mid-September, mostly bats, its highest yearly count since 2019, Searchlight New Mexico reported, citing the state Department of Health3.

The pattern is not uniform. South Carolina reported 95 confirmed rabid animals in 2026 as of Oct. 19, compared with 101 in all of 2025 and a yearly average of about 136 since 20024.

Ryan Wallace of the CDC's Poxvirus and Rabies Branch told CIDRAP News that part of the rise reflects the usual summer and fall pattern, adding: "The larger increases that have been reported regionally are not fully understood yet."5 He said the agency suspects more contact between bats and people, along with greater public awareness5.

About 100,000 people in the U.S. receive post-exposure treatment each year, the CDC estimates1. Rabies is nearly always fatal once symptoms start, but treatment given before then prevents it1. This is a news report, not medical advice.

Sources

  1. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (HAN advisory)Nationwide Increase in Reported Human Rabies Exposures: Rabies Post-exposure Prophylaxis Administration
  2. Idaho Department of Health and WelfareIdaho reports increase in rabid bats, potential human exposures
  3. Searchlight New MexicoMore animals testing positive for rabies in New Mexico — but the reason is a mystery
  4. South Carolina Department of Public HealthRabid Bat and Raccoons Confirmed in Multiple Counties; Three People Exposed
  5. CIDRAP NewsRabid goats, otters, beavers, and bats are making news. Here’s how to protect yourself
  6. New York TimesIs Rabies Making a Comeback?

Read the original at U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (HAN advisory) ↗

How it’s being reported

6 versions from 3 sources
New York Times