03/13/26 Public Health Education Topic: Animal Exposures/Rabies

Per CDC Español

Key points

• Rabies is a viral disease that is deadly if people don't receive medical care before symptoms start.

• Rabies spreads primarily through bites or scratches from an infected animal.

• The animals most frequently found with rabies in the U.S. are bats, skunks, raccoons, and foxes.

• Around 100,000 Americans are vaccinated against rabies following a potential rabies exposure each year.

  
  

Signs and symptoms

After a rabies exposure, the rabies virus must travel to the brain before it can cause symptoms. This time between exposure and the appearance of symptoms is the incubation period, which may last for weeks to months. Once clinical signs of rabies appear, the disease is nearly always fatal.

The first symptoms of rabies may include:

• Flu-like illness including weakness or discomfort, fever, or headache

• Discomfort, prickling, or an itching sensation at the site of the bite

Usually, severe disease appears within 2 weeks of the first symptoms. People are more familiar with the "classic" symptoms of advanced rabies, which include:

• Anxiety

• Confusion

• Agitation

• Hallucinations

• Being very thirsty but panicked by fluids

• Having lots of saliva

• Aggressive behavior like thrashing and biting

  
  

Prevention:

You can help prevent rabies by:

• Making sure your pets are up to date on their rabies vaccines

• Keeping wildlife wild - stay away from wildlife for both human and animal safety

• Calling animal control to remove stray animals from your neighborhood

• Washing bites or scratches immediately with soap and water after possible rabies exposure

• Seeking medical care urgently if you may have been exposed to rabies

  
  

For more information, please visit: About Rabies | Rabies | CDC