Rabies surveillance in the United States during 1991

In 1991, 49 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico reported 6,972 cases of rabies in nonhuman animals and 3 cases in human beings to the Centers for Disease Control. Ninety-one percent (6,354 cases) were wild animals, whereas 8.9% (618 cases) were domestic species. The total number of reported cases of rabies increased 42.9% over that of 1990 (4,881 cases), with most of the increase resulting from continued spread of the epizootic of rabies in raccoons in the mid-Atlantic and northeastern states. Large increases in cases of rabies in animals were reported from Connecticut (200 cases in 1991, compared with 3 in 1990, an increase of 6,567%), Delaware (197 cases in 1991, compared with 44 in 1990, an increase of 348%), New York (1,303 cases in 1991, compared with 242 in 1990, an increase of 326%), and New Jersey (994 cases in 1991, compared with 469 in 1990, an increase of 112%). Other noteworthy increases were reported by Wyoming (96.4%), Texas (69.7%), California (41.3%), Oklahoma (33.1%), Minnesota (31.4%), Georgia (26.7%), and Maryland (23.7%). Hawaii reported 1 imported case of rabies in a bat. Only 16 states reported decreases in rabies in animals in 1991, compared with 30 in 1990. Pennsylvania and Iowa reported decreases of 40.6% and 27.4%, respectively. Rhode Island was the only state that did not report a case of rabies in 1991.