Kentucky Reports Rabies Fatality

The Kentucky Department for Public Health (KDPH) recently reported a resident of northern Kentucky has died after being infected with the rabies virus.

As of December 28, 2024, KDPH stated transmission of the rabies virus from person to person is rare. In 1999, skunks accounted for 21 of Kentucky's 35 confirmed rabies cases. 

State Public Health Veterinarian Kelly Giesbrecht, DVM, MPH, is the primary consultant in Kentucky for Rabies and other zoonotic diseases.

Rabies is an infectious viral disease that affects the nervous system and kills about 70,000 people worldwide each year.

. People get Rabies from the bite of an infected or rabid animal. Wild mammals like raccoons, skunks, foxes, coyotes, or bats can have and transmit Rabies.

According to the U.S. CDC, bats, not dogs, are the leading source of rabies infection in the United States.

In late November 2024, the Fresno County Department of Public Health announced a rabies death involving a county resident who was suspected to have been bitten by a bat in Merced County, located east of San Jose.

Furthermore, Rabies is a vaccine-preventable disease, with various U.S. FDA-approved vaccines available in 2024.