Rabies surveillance in the United States during 1992

In 1992, 49 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico reported 8,644 cases of rabies in nonhuman animals and 1 case in a human being to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Almost 92% (7,912 cases) were wild animals, the largest number of wild animals ever reported, whereas 8.5% (732 cases) were domestic species. The total number of reported cases increased 23.9% over that of 1991 (6,975 cases), with most of the increase resulting from continued spread of rabies in raccoons. The 2 epizootics of rabies in raccoons (Northeastern/mid-Atlantic region and Southeastern region) are now approaching convergence in North Carolina (49 reported cases of rabies in 1992). Massachusetts (57 cases), New York City (41 cases), and New Hampshire (10 cases) became new additions to the epizootic in the Northeast, with Maine, Rhode Island, and Vermont the only states in the region without cases associated with the raccoon strain of rabies. The state of New York (including New York City) reported 1,761 cases (79% in raccoons) of rabies, the largest number ever recorded for any state. Increases attributable to epizootics of rabies in other species were reported by Alaska (25 cases in 1992, compared with 12 in 1991, mainly attributable to rabies in foxes) and Kansas (374 cases in 1992, compared with 63 in 1991, mainly attributable to rabies in skunks). Reported cases of rabies in coyotes (75) increased 50% over those for 1991 (50 cases). In the southern portion of Texas (reporting 70 of the 75 cases in coyotes), there was a similar increase (55%) in reported cases of rabies in dogs, whereas nationally, reported cases of rabies in dogs (182) increased 17%. Twenty states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico reported decreases in rabies in animals in 1992, compared with 16 states in 1991. Hawaii was the only state that did not report a case of rabies in 1992.