Health officials see a jump in human rabies exposures and mistakes in treatments, CDC says

(Gray News) - Federal health officials are issuing a warning after they’ve seen a jump in cases of human exposure to rabies and an increase in errors during rabies preventive treatments.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a “Health Alert Network Health Advisory” in response to a recent uptick in human exposure to rabies or rabid animals.

Rabies is a viral disease that is practically always fatal but preventable when the proper treatment is given before the patient shows symptoms.

There were 17% more cases of “rabies-related inquiries” during July and August than there were during the same period last year, according to the CDC. The agency also reported a rise in “mass exposure” cases where more than one person was exposed to rabies or a rabid animal.

Recently, nearly 300 people may have been exposed to rabies after interacting with goats at a mobile petting zoo in North Carolina. Three baby goats tested positive for rabies, while another goat was not tested but presumed to have rabies, according to the North Carolina State Laboratory of Public Health.

A suspected rabid animal is believed to have attacked people in Lebanon, New Hampshire. There have been three reported attacks, with witnesses reporting the animal appeared to be unusually aggressive. Witnesses described the animal as either a gray fox or a fisher, but officials cannot confirm what it is.

In Maryland, a large part of Cunningham Falls State Park was shut down in early August after a 19-year-old fisherman was attacked by a beaver that later tested positive for rabies. The attack was the second of its kind to happen at the park this summer. According to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, a 13-year-old swimmer was attacked by a beaver on July 26. That beaver also tested positive for rabies.

A dead bat found in a popular campground at Yosemite National Park tested positive for rabies, although the park said there was no reported human contact with the animal.

The CDC has also seen a rise in the use of preventive rabies treatment known as post-exposure prophylaxis or PEP. According to the CDC, eight state health departments have reported an increase in the use of rabies PEP. The agency also reported that the use of two rabies vaccines rose by 33% in September 2026 compared to last year while the use of two human rabies immunoglobulins rose by 76%.

Along with the rise in preventive rabies treatment, the CDC has seen a rise in errors when administering the treatment. The CDC said errors can occur when assessing if a patient needs PEP. For example, someone who has previously been vaccinated for rabies would not need a dose of human rabies immunoglobulins.

According to the CDC, these errors can lead to unnecessary treatments, potential adverse effects and avoidable costs. A typical course of PEP treatment can range from $11,000 to $14,000 per person.

“Following rabies PEP administration guidance helps ensure that lifesaving vaccines are available for persons who need it and extraneous costs are avoided,” the CDC said.

Other errors reported during preventive treatment include:

• Administering rabies vaccine in the wrong area
• Administering HRIG and vaccine in the same syringe or anatomical site
• Forgetting to give HRIG to someone who needs it
• Misclassifying previous vaccination history or immune status
• Using an incorrect rabies vaccine schedule
• Unnecessarily restarting the rabies vaccine series after a schedule deviation

In order to prevent exposure to rabies, the CDC advises the public to stay away from wildlife. The agency says never to approach an animal that appears to be sick or wounded and to report it to local animal control instead.

The CDC also recommends keeping your pets up to date on their rabies vaccines as well as keeping them away from wildlife as much as possible.

Should you or your pet come in contact with a wild or unknown animal, particularly if you or your pet have been scratched or bitten, the CDC recommends:

• Washing the wound immediately with soap and water for 15 minutes
• Telling your doctor or veterinarian what animal it was and whether it showed signs of behavior outside the norm
• Talking with a health professional about your rabies risk and if you will need treatment
• If the animal was not your own pet, asking for its owner to provide proof of its up-to-date rabies vaccination
• Capturing or confining the animal if it is safe to do so and contacting local animal control