This year the US is seeing a surge of rabies infections. The CDC is currently monitoring 14 likely outbreaks in communities across the country. The US has 6 human rabies deaths so far in 2025. Humans can get rabies when they are scratched by or come into contact with an infected animal. In the United States, bats are the top cause of rabies deaths in people. The deadly virus is also spread by other wild animals such as skunks, raccoons, foxes and coyotes. Dogs who are not vaccinated can also spread the disease but this is less common in the US which has a relatively high dog vaccination rate.
Every year in the US, about 1.4 million people are evaluated for possible rabies infection, and 100,000 of these patients are given treatment to prevent the virus from making them sick. Getting treated soon after infection is critical because rabies is almost always fatal once symptoms begin. The post-exposure vaccine is nearly 100% effective if you get it soon after exposure to rabies.
Scientists say that the destruction of animals’ habitats and better monitoring of infections are two of the reasons for the uptick in reported cases.
