2001 Rabies Annual Summary
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Director, Rabies Laboratory
Richard Raczkowski:
Asst. Director, Rabies Laboratory
518-869-4527
Please contact us (518-869-4527) for data tables and image maps in an alternate format.
- Introduction
- Specimens Tested
- Bat Rabies
- Rabies in Domestic Animals
- Rabies in Wildlife
- 2001 Raccoon Rabies Map (GIF 19k)
- 2001 Bat Rabies Map (GIF 19k)
- 2001 Rabies Incidence Map (PDF 259k)
- Additional 2001 Rabies Data
Introduction
For the first time since 1992 the dubious distinction of having the largest number of specimens for rabies diagnosis and the largest number of animal rabies cases did not belong to New York State, but to the state of Texas (as a result of an intense epizootic of skunk rabies in eastern Texas). New York had the second highest totals in the nation, with 821 rabies positive specimens among the nearly 10,000 animals examined. While that was the smallest number of rabid animals recorded for this state since 1991, it was only 2.5% (21) fewer than the previous year, and 21.3% smaller than the average for the previous five year period. The consistency of numbers in the past two years reflects the current enzootic status of raccoon rabies in most areas of New York State. Although the number of positive cases overall for the year declined, the number of positive raccoons actually rose by 25 (5.9%).
Specimens Tested
The New York State Department of Health received 8,961 animals for rabies examination during the year, which was 10.7% fewer than the previous year and 6.1% fewer than the average of the previous five years. The New York City Health Department rabies laboratory received 693 animals for examination, for a statewide total of 9,666 examinations for rabies in animals. Specimens were received from every New York State county with a range of 923 specimens from Westchester County to 6 specimens from Hamilton County. Kings County (Brooklyn) had one rabid cat (raccoon strain) that was found in a subway tunnel. This was the first incursion of raccoon rabies into this county. The Wadsworth Center examined tissue from 3 human patients for the purpose of antemortem diagnosis of rabies (all rabies negative).
The 51 animal species received for rabies diagnosis at the Wadsworth laboratory were representative of every major taxa of mammals in New York State. Domestic species comprised 31.5% (2,829) and wild species 68.5% (6,144) of all animals tested. The laboratory examined 1,857 cats (20.7% of all animals tested), 717 dogs (8.0%), 185 foxes (2.1%), 979 raccoons (11.0%), 388 skunks (4.3%), 244 rodents and lagomorphs (2.7%), 103 cattle (1.1%), 316 other wild (3.5%) and 80 other domestic (0.9%).
Rabies in Bats
For the fourth consecutive year, more bats (3,926) were tested at the Wadsworth laboratory than any other group of animals, accounting for 43.8% of all animals tested. Although the total number of animals tested was down from previous years, the number of tested bats has remained steady during the past four years. Among the bats tested in 2001; 2,743 (69.9% of all bats tested) were big brown bats, 1,058 (27%) little brown bats, 36 red bats, 34 eastern pipistrelle bats, 6 hoary bats, 6 silverhaired bats and 43 (1.1%) unidentifiable. The 113 rabid bats was the third highest annual total in the state’s history, and 11.9% higher than the average of the previous five years (101). The rabid bats included 95 big brown bats (84.1% of all rabid bats), 8 little brown bats (7.1%), 3 eastern pipistrelle (2.7%), 1 hoary bat, 1 red bat and 1 bat unidentifiable. The percent-positive for each bat taxa was: big brown bat, 3.5%; little brown bat, 0.76%; hoary bat, 16.6%; red bat, 2.7%; silverhaired, bat 0%; eastern pipistrelle, 8.8% and unidentified, 2.3%. In 2001 the rabies-positivity rate among all bats tested was 2.9%, consistent with the trend observed in recent years of rabies-positivity rates in bats dropping from the 4% average of recent decades. The average for the 5 year period of 1995 to 1999 was 3.4%. Recent changes in rabies control guidelines that recommend aggressive management of potential non-bite rabies exposures during bat encounters have dramatically increased the submission of bats for rabies diagnosis. This increased testing of many asymptomatic bats has lowered the positivity rate for submitted bats. Among the rabid bats 45(39.8%) had reported human contact, 25(22.1%) contact with a cat, 17(15.1%) contact with a dog, and 26(23%) had no reported contact. The rabid bats were comprised of 2(1.8%) juvenile, 61(54%) female and 44(39%) male, and 2(1.8%) unidentifiable to gender.
Rabies in Domestic Animals
There were 47 laboratory-confirmed rabid domestic animals in 2001, including 32 cats (68.1% of all domestic animal cases), 6 bovines (12.8%), 3 rabbits (6.4%), 3 horses (6.4%), 2 dogs (4.3%) and 1 goat (2.1%). The three domestic rabbits were infected with the raccoon strain of rabies virus. The rabbits were caged outdoors and were apparently bit through the cage wiring. Two of the rabbits were observed being attacked by raccoons.
Rabies in Wildlife
The 776 rabid wild animals accounted for 94.3% of all rabid animals in 2001. This is the lowest number of rabid animals in 10 years, and 22.4% lower than the average for the past 5 years. The rabies-positivity rate among all wildlife examined was 12.7%. Of all rabid wild animals tested in 2001, 85.8 % were terrestrial species and 14.2% bat species. Rabies infection was identified in 444 raccoons (67% of all terrestrial animals found rabid), 168 striped skunks (25.3%), 45 foxes (6.8%), 12 woodchucks, (1.8%) and one beaver. Among all animals submitted for rabies examination, the rabies-positivity rate was 8.7%.
(New York City data provided by Dr. Igbal Poshni, Director, Virus Laboratory, New York City Department of Health)