Background

Rabies is one of the oldest known viral diseases, yet today it remains a significant wildlife-management and public-health challenge. Rabies affects the central nervous system of unvaccinated animals that are exposed to the virus and is invariably fatal. Over the past 30 years, rabies management has grown in complexity in the United States, as wild animals, including skunks, raccoons, foxes, coyotes, and bats, have replaced the domestic dog as the primary reservoir for the disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that wildlife currently account for greater than 90 percent of reported cases of rabies in the United States.

The cost of living with rabies in America is high and growing, exceeding $300 million per year. Although rabies vaccinations have been available for domestic animals for many years, until recently no such preventive measure existed to control rabies in wildlife.

What is Rabies?

Rabies is a bullet-shaped virus that affects the central nervous system of mammals, including humans. Rabies is passed along through saliva when an infected animal bites an uninfected animal. The virus then migrates through the central nervous system to the brain where it begins replicating. From the brain, the virus then begins to infect other tissues, including the salivary glands, where the virus can then be passed to another animal. As the virus replicates in the brain, the animal’s behavior changes and begins to show signs of rabies such as aggression or staggering. Time between the initial bite and death is variable among species and can range from 3 to 20 weeks. For a complete description of rabies, please visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention web site http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/rabies/

Wildlife Services’ Mission

The Wildlife Services (WS) program—part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)—is charged with providing leadership to alleviate or minimize wildlife damage to agricultural, property, and natural resources and protect humans from health and safety threats from wildlife. Providing assistance in wildlife disease management is an integral part of the WS mission.