| During 2011, 49 states and Puerto Rico reported 6,031 rabid animals representing a 1.9% decrease from the 6,153 rabid animals reported in 2010. Relative contributions by the major animal groups were as follows: 1,981 raccoons (32.8%), 1,627 skunks (27.0%), 1,380 bats (22.9%), 427 foxes (7.1%), 303 cats (5.0%), 65 cattle (1.1%), and 70 dogs (1.2%). Compared to 2010, a significant increase was reported among rabid skunks. Canine rabies virus transmission has been eliminated in the United States since 2004 and monitoring the rabies virus variant associated with rabid domestic animals is critical. We evaluated rabies diagnostic submission data for the US from 2008-2011 for reported rabid dogs, cats and coyotes. A total of 1,546 rabid cats, dogs and coyotes... |
