Rabies in the United States
About 60,000 People Are Treated With Post-exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) Each Year to Prevent Infection With the Rabies Virus1
- Without proper PEP administration, the rabies virus can be fatal2,3
- Someone dies from rabies every 9 minutes globally4
- Since 2017, there have been 9 rabies-related deaths in the US that may have been prevented with timely PEP administration5-12
92% of Animal Rabies Cases Involved Wildlife Species13
Between 2019-2021, the following wildlife animals were the primary carriers of the rabies virus in the US.13-15
31.6%
Bat
30.8%
Raccoon
19.1%
Skunk
7.9%
Fox
Children Are Highly Vulnerable
Globally, 40% of those who are bitten by animals suspected of being infected with the rabies virus are children under the age of 15. KEDRAB is the only FDA-approved HRIG studied for safety and effectiveness in children16,17
References: 1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Animals and Rabies. Updated January 6, 2022. Accessed December 20, 2023. https://www.cdc.gov/rabies/animals/index.html. 2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Human Rabies Prevention—United States, 2008 Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2008;57(RR-3):1-28. Accessed December 20, 2023. 3. Rupprecht C, Kuzmin I, Meslin F. Lyssaviruses and rabies: current conundrums, concerns, contradictions and controversies. F1000Research. 2017;6(F1000 Faculty Rev):184. doi: 10.12688/f1000research.10416.1. 4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID). Global Rabies Work. July 9, 2018. https://www.cdc.gov/ncezid/stories-features/global-stories/rabies-work.html. Accessed December 20, 2023. 5. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Human Rabies. https://www.cdc.gov/rabies/location/usa/surveillance/human_rabies.html. Updated September 22, 2021. Accessed December 20, 2023. 6. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. February 7, 2020. Human Rabies – Utah 2018. 69(5). 7. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Human Rabies — Virginia, 2017. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2019;67(5152):1410–1414. doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm675152a2 8. ClickOrlando.com. Florida bat bite victim dies of rabies. https://www.clickorlando.com/strange-florida/2017/10/27/florida-bat-bite-victim-dies-of-rabies/. October 27, 2017. 9. Outbreak News Today. Florida reports 2nd human rabies death in recent months. https://outbreaknewstoday.com/florida-reports-2nd-human-rabies-death-recent-months-23275/. January 15, 2018. 10. WHYY. First confirmed human rabies death reported in Delaware since 1941. https://whyy.org/articles/first-confirmed-human-rabies-death-reported-in-delaware-since-1941/. August 28, 2018. 11. STAT. 3 fatal rabies cases in U.S. suggest public underestimates infection risks. https://www.statnews.com/2022/01/06/rabies/. January 6, 2022. 12. New York Times. U.S. Records 5 Rabies Deaths in 2021, Highest Number in a Decade. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/07/health/rabies-deaths.html. January 7, 2022.
13. Ma X, Monroe BP, Wallace RM, et al. Rabies surveillance in the United States during 2019. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2021;(258(11): 1205-1220. Accessed July 16, 2023. doi:10.2460/javma.258.11.1205. 14. Ma X, Bonaparte S, Toro M, et al. Rabies surveillance in the United States during 2020. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2022;260(10):1157-1165. Accessed July 16, 2023. doi:10.2460/javma.22.03.0112. 15. Ma X, Bonaparte S, Corbett P, et al. Rabies surveillance in the United States during 2021. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2023;261(7):1045-1053. Accessed July 16, 2023. doi:10.2460/javma.23.02.0081. 16. World Health Organization. Rabies. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs099/en/. Updated April 2020. Accessed December 20, 2023. 17. KEDRAB [package insert]. Fort Lee, NJ: Kedrion Biopharma Inc.; 2021.