Rabies surveillance in the United States during 1998

During 1998, 49 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico reported 7,961 cases of rabies in nonhuman animals and 1 case in a human being to th e Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a decrease of 6.5% from 8,509 cases in nonhuman animals and 4 cases in human beings reported in 1997. Mo re than 92% (7,358 cases) were in wild animals, whereas > 7.5% (603 cases) were in domestic species (compared with 93% in wild animals and 7% in domes tic species in 1997). Decreases were evident in all of the major contributi ng species groups, with the exception of skunks and bats. The relative cont ributions of the major groups to the total reported for 1998 were raccoons (44.0%; 3.502 cases), skunks (28.5%; 2,272), bats (12.5%; 992), foxes (5.5% ; 435), cats (3.5%; 282), cattle (1.5%; 116), and dogs (11.5%; 113). No fur ther discernable westward extension of the epizootic of rabies in raccoons in Ohio was reported, Twelve of the 19 states enzootic for the raccoon vari ant of the rabies virus and the District of Columbia reported decreased num bers of cases of rabies during 1998, compared with 13 states and the Distri ct of Columbia that reported increases during 1997. Three slates, Rhode isl and (143.2%), Massachusetts (77.2%), and New Hampshire (69.4%), reported in creases of > 50% during 1998, compared with totals reported for 1997. In Te xas, the number of cases of rabies associated with enzootic canine variants of the rabies virus remained greatly diminished; however, overall totals o f reported cases of rabies increased in Texas and 12 other stales where sku nks are the major terrestrial reservoir of rabies. At the national level, t he total of 82 reported cases of rabies among horses and mules was greater than that reported for any year since 1981 (88 cases) and represented a 74. 5% increase, compared with the total for 1997. The 992 cases of rabies repo rted in bats during 1998 were the greatest proportionate contribution by ba ts since 1990. Reported cases of rabies in cats (282), dogs (113), and catt le (116) decreased 6.0%, 10.3%, and 4.9%, respectively. One indigenously ac quired case of rabies reported in a human being during 1998 was the result of infection with a rabies virus variant associated with silver-haired and eastern pipistrelle bats.