The virus is usually contracted from mosquitoes, or by contact with the blood, bodily fluids or organs of infected animals. There have been 5 cases of human rabies are the first diagnosed in the United States since December 1998, and underscore that rabies should be considered in any patient with progressive encephalitis. The initial presentations of rabies can be diverse and a history of animal contact is rarely obtained. In the United States since 1990, infection with indigenous rabies virus variants associated with insectivorous bats and infection with foreign canine rabies virus variants have accounted for 30 of the 32 human cases. Contact with bats occurred in approximately half of the other cases.
Canine rabies is prevalent in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
Although rabies is usually transmitted by a bite, persons may minimize the medical implications of a bat bite. Unlike bites from larger animals, the trauma of a bat bite is unlikely to warrant seeking medical care. Persons who are bitten or scratched by any animal should wash wounds thoroughly and seek immediate medical attention to evaluate the need for treatment. In all cases where bat-human contact has occurred or is suspected, the bat should be collected and tested for rabies. Seeing a bat or being in the vicinity of bats does not constitute an exposure.