In 2004, only 94 rabid dogs were reported in this country, according to Dr. Seltz. Among domestic animals, there were more cases of rabid cats and rabid cattle: 281 and 115 animals, respectively.
Dog bites do account for most of the 50,000 human rabies cases worldwide each year, he said. In the United States, however, 92%–94% of animal rabies comes from wild animals.
The largest concentration of infected animals has been identified to date on the East Coast, Dr. Seltz reported. Nationwide, in 2004, there were 2,400 rabid raccoons, 1,800 skunks, and 1,300 bats.
Although rabid bats are far fewer than rabid raccoons, Dr. Seltz said they are more dispersed and more likely to come in contract with people. Hence, they are most often implicated in human infections. Squirrels are rarely found to be rabid, he said, as they generally do not survive the initial attack of a rabid animal.
In Arizona, where Dr. Seltz practices and the meeting took place, he said there were 169 cases of animal rabies in 2005—the most ever recorded.
These rabid animals included 84 bats, 67 skunks, 12 foxes, 2 bobcats, and 1 raccoon.