Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC twenty four seven. Saving Lives, Protecting People
For a full list of topics: A-Z Index
Advanced Search
Advanced Search
Rabies
    CDC Home
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • Syndicate

    Is Rabies in Your State?

    Minus
    Related Pages

    Each year, scientists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) collect information about cases of animal and human rabies from state health departments and summarize the information in an annual report. The most recent report entitled “Rabies surveillance in the United States during 2018”external icon contains the epidemiologic information on rabies during 2018.

    During 2018, 54 jurisdictions reported 4,951 cases of rabies in animals and 3 cases in humans to CDC. This total represented an increase of 11.2% as compared to 2017 (4,454 rabid animals and 2 human cases of rabies).

    Two men in an office looking at a computer screen

    Wild Animal Surveillance

    Wild animals accounted for 92.7% of reported cases of rabies in 2018. Bats were the most frequently reported rabid wildlife species, followed by raccoons, skunks, and foxes.

    Read more
    Domestic Animal Surveillance

    Domestic species accounted for 9 percent of all rabid animals reported in the United States in 2018. From 2017 to 2018, the number of reported rabid dogs increased slightly (62 to 63), and the number of reported rabid cats decreased (from 276 to 241). The number of rabid cattle decreased (36 to 33), while the number of rabid horses and mules stayed the same (13).

    Read more
    Human rabies surveillance

    Cases of human rabies cases in the United States are rare, with only 1 to 3 cases reported annually. Twenty-five cases of human rabies have been reported in the United States in the past decade (2009-2018).

    Read more
    Page last reviewed: April 6, 2020
    Content source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID), Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology (DHCPP)
    homeRabies Homepage
    • What is rabies?
    • Animals and rabiesplus icon
      • Bats and rabies
    • Transmissionplus icon
      • Path of the virus
    • When to seek careplus icon
      • What kind of animal did you come in contact with?plus icon
        • Domestic Animals
        • Exotic Pet Species
        • Bats
        • Other wild animals
        • Wildlife reservoirs for rabies
      • What type of exposure occurred?
      • Is the animal available for testing?
    • Preventionplus icon
      • Prevention in pets
      • Preventing exposure in people
      • Postexposure prophylaxisplus icon
        • Human rabies immune globulin
        • Rabies vaccine
        • Programs for uninsured and underinsured patients
      • Pre-exposure prophylaxis
    • Signs and symptoms
    • Diagnosisplus icon
      • Diagnosis in animals and humans
      • Direct fluorescent antibody test
      • Histologic examination
      • Immunohistochemistry
      • Electron microscopy
      • Amplification methods
      • Accuracy of the tests
      • Regulation of diagnostic test kits
    • Rabies in the U.S. and around the worldplus icon
      • Rabies in the U.S.plus icon
        • Cost of Rabies Prevention
        • Is Rabies in your State?plus icon
          • Wild Animal Surveillance
          • Domestic Animal Surveillance
          • Human rabies surveillance
      • Rabies around the World
      • Rabies Status: Assessment by Country
    • Information for specific groupsplus icon
      • Travelersplus icon
        • What if I receive treatment outside the United States?
      • Veterinariansplus icon
        • What to do with an animal that has bitten a person
        • Caring for animals with potential exposure
        • Clinical signs of rabies in animals
        • Vaccines
        • Vaccination
        • Testing
        • Rabies in manmade or natural disasters
      • Healthcare Providersplus icon
        • Exposure in healthcare settings
        • Rabies biologics
        • Precautions or contraindications for rabies vaccination
        • Adverse reaction
        • Rabies serology
        • Ante mortem testing
        • Management of human rabies
      • Diagnostic laboratories
    • State and local rabies consultation contacts
    • Resourcesplus icon
      • How Can I Help?
      • ACIP recommendations
      • Vaccine and Immune Globulin Availability
      • Publications
      • News
      • Specimen Submission
      • Multimedia
      • Training
    Events
    • Rabies in the Americasexternal
    • World Rabies Day
    We help prevent rabies

     

    CDC 24/7 – Saving Lives, Protecting People, Saving Money. Learn More About How CDC Works For You…
    HAVE QUESTIONS?
    Visit CDC-INFO
    Call 800-232-4636
    Email CDC-INFO
    Open 24/7
    CDC INFORMATION
    • About CDC
    • Jobs
    • Funding
    • Policies
    • File Viewers & Players
    • Other Languages
    • Privacy
    • FOIA
    • No Fear Act
    • OIG
    • Nondiscrimination
    • Accessibility
    • Vulnerability Disclosure Policy | Español
    CONNECT WITH CDC
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Snapchat

    • Youtube
    • Syndicate
    • CDC TV
    • RSS
    • Email
    CONTACT CDC
    Visit CDC-INFO
    Call 800-232-4636
    Email CDC-INFO
    Open 24/7
    ABOUT CDC
    • About CDC
    • Jobs
    • Funding
    POLICIES
    • Policies
    • File Viewers & Players
    • Other Languages
    • Privacy
    • FOIA
    • No Fear Act
    • OIG
    • Nondiscrimination
    • Accessibility
    • Vulnerability Disclosure Policy | Español
    • CDC Website Exit Disclaimer external icon
    LANGUAGE ASSISTANCE
    • Español
    • 繁體中文
    • Tiếng Việt
    • 한국어
    • Tagalog
    • Русский
    • العربية
    • Kreyòl Ayisyen
    • Français
    • Polski
    • Português
    • Italiano
    • Deutsch
    • 日本語
    • فارسی
    • English
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Snapchat
    • Youtube
    • Syndicate
    • CDC TV
    • RSS
    • Email
    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
    USA.gov
    CDC Website Exit Disclaimer external icon
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    SAS stats

    Exit Notification / Disclaimer Policy

    Links with this icon indicate that you are leaving the CDC website.
    • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cannot attest to the accuracy of a non-federal website.
    • Linking to a non-federal website does not constitute an endorsement by CDC or any of its employees of the sponsors or the information and products presented on the website.
    • You will be subject to the destination website's privacy policy when you follow the link.
    • CDC is not responsible for Section 508 compliance (accessibility) on other federal or private website.
    For more information on CDC's web notification policies, see Website Disclaimers.