Animal cases:
In 2023, there were 252 confirmed cases of rabies in Pennsylvania. Raccoons are the most common animals to test positive for rabies, followed by skunks, foxes, and bats.
Exposure:
The number of reported exposures to rabies in Pennsylvania has increased over the last decade. In Chester County, the most common animals involved in human-animal exposures are dogs, cats, bats, and raccoons.
Prevention:
Vaccination is very successful in preventing rabies in domestic animals. Help prevent the spread of rabies by vaccinating your pets. Dogs should receive a rabies vaccine between 12–16 weeks of age, and again one year later. Adult dogs and cats should receive a rabies vaccine annually or every two ro three years.
Rabies cases are more common in warmer months:
As people and animals spend more time outdoors, the likelihood of encountering a rabid animal increases.
Rabies is a viral infection:
It can affect the nervous system of any mammal, including humans, and is almost always fatal.
Symptoms include:
Irritability, Fatigue, headache, fever, and pain or itching at the exposure site. The incubation period for rabies in humans is usually 3–8 weeks but can be as short as 1 week or as long as 9 years. If you are bitten or scratched by a wild animal or a pet that might have rabies, you should talk to your healthcare provider right away.
Rabies testing requires euthanasia:
There are no approved methods for testing animals for rabies before they die.