The number of people who die from rabies is relativly low across the United States.

Why?

"It's quite low because in this country we are able to seek medical attention and get post-exposure prophylaxis, rabies treatment essentially," noted Richard Chipman lead of the USDA's National Rabies Management Program.

He noted when looking at 2018 numbers, the latest data available, "we tested 97,735 animals and we had 4964 confirmed rabies cases three of which were in humans."

Most of the animal cases of rabies occur in wild animals, and in U.S., the primary source of human exposure is bats. Chipman said people may not realize when they've been exposed to a rabid bat, while they usually know to seek medical treatment after exposure to other kinds of rabid animals. Meanwhile, he added that vaccinating domestic pets for rabies is an important part of control efforts. 

If you have a story idea for the PNW Ag Network, call (509) 547-1618, or e-mail gvaagen@cherrycreekmedia.com

More From PNW Ag Network