Rabies surveillance in the United States during 1996.

摘要

In 1996, 49 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico reported 7124 cases of rabies in non-human animals and 4 cases in humans to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Georgia, USA. Nearly 92% (6550 cases) were wild animals, whereas 8% (574 cases) were domestic species. The number of reported cases decreased 9.6% from that of 1995 (7881 cases). Although much of the decline was the result of fewer reported cases of rabies in raccoons, fewer cases were reported among most groups ofanimals. Numbers of cases associated with separate epidemics of rabies in foxes in west central Texas and in dogs and coyotes in southern Texas attributable to canine variants declined, with 56.2% fewer rabid foxes (60), 72.7% fewer rabid dogs (15), and76.3% fewer rabid coyotes (19) during 1996, compared with cases of rabies reported among these same species during 1995. Nationally, the number of reported rabid bats (741) decreased 5.8%, with cases reported by 46 of the 48 contiguous states. Cats continued to be the domestic animals most frequently reported rabid, but reported cases of rabies in cats (266), cattle (131), and dogs (111) decreased by 7.6%, 3.7% and 24.0%, respectively. 31 states and the District of Columbia reported decreases in rabiesin animals during 1996. Hawaii was the only state that did not report a case of rabies in 1996. Two indigenously acquired cases of rabies reported in humans were the result of infection with rabies virus variants associated with bats, whereas the remaining 2 human rabies infections were acquired outside the USA, and the variants identified were consistent with those associated with rabid dogs.