Calif. breaks 28-year record for fatal disease amid nationwide rise

Key Points:

• Two raccoons in Westlake Village, Los Angeles County, tested positive for rabies—the first such cases in the county since 1973—raising concerns about a potential new raccoon-specific rabies variant that could spread widely and prompt a costly public health response.
• Rabies cases in California have surged, with at least 368 rabid animals detected this year, the highest since 1998, mostly bats and skunks; however, officials say the public risk remains low and there is no evidence the virus has expanded beyond these species.
• Nationally, the CDC reported a 76% increase in people receiving post-exposure rabies treatment and a 33% rise in rabies vaccinations compared to the previous year, though it remains unclear if this trend is widespread or localized and which species are driving it.
• The CDC faces challenges in timely rabies surveillance due to staffing cuts and data delays, with the latest national rabies report over a year behind schedule, complicating efforts to identify broader epidemiological trends and potential outbreaks.
• Experts advise avoiding contact with wildlife, keeping pets vaccinated, and seeking medical advice after any potential exposure, especially to bats, which can carry rabies variants that infect multiple mammal species.