Rabies Statistics in Maryland

My biggest concern as a veterinarian is the possibility of contracting rabies. While this would be highly unlikely since I am vaccinated against the virus, it is a highly fatal disease. In June of last year, a girl became only the 3rd person  in the U. S. to survive rabies. Last December a woman in South Carolina was diagnosed with rabies after being bit by a cat. She died a few days after her story was released.

 There were 305 confirmed cases of rabies in 2011 in Maryland. 17 of the cases were cats and 3 were dogs. The majority of cases were raccoons. This is the smallest number of confirmed cases of rabies since the 1980's in Maryland. Since that time there have been great efforts by health officials to prevent the spread of rabies in our state. These efforts have included vaccination clinics for domestic pets as well as treats that are dropped in forested areas that have an oral form of the rabies vaccine for raccoons to eat. The goal is that the raccoons will eat the bait and be immunized against rabies. 

 While these numbers have been improving, 3 positive dog cases is an unusually high number.  Rabies is a very serious disease. If an animal contracts the disease, they begin to show neurologic signs including excessive salivation, staggering and falling and unusually aggressive behavior.  Rabies in animals can only be diagnosed after the animal dies. If you are concerned that one of your pets or a wild animal near your home may have rabies, please contact your veterinarian or state health officials immediately.