In the United States, rabies is mostly found in wild animals like bats, racoons, skunks and foxes.

Until the early 1960's, most of the rabies cases in Indiana were dogs, cats, and animals bitten by dogs and cats. After pet vaccination increased and animal control programs were established, dog and cat rabies decreased rapidly. From the 1960s to 1988 skunks were the most commonly found rabid animals in Indiana. After 1988 bats became the most common rabid animal. Rabid bats have been found somewhere in the state every year since 1965. Rabies in skunks was last detected in 2004 in Indiana. Rabies in skunks has been restricted to counties in far South Central Indiana, where rabies in skunks continues to be transmitted at a very low level. //

Most Recent Rabies Cases by Species in Indiana
2020 Bat
2009 Human
2006 Human
2004 Skunk
2002 Horse
1990 Fox
1989 Dog
1986 Cow
1984 Cat
1983 Groundhog
1979 Raccoon

Be aware if you've got bats in your home. That's the message from the Illinois Department of Health as it announced that an 80-year-old man died of rabies after waking up to find a bat on his neck. It is the first human case of rabies in the state since 1954.

The man refused rabies treatment at the time of the incident in mid-August, health officials said in a press release. A month later, he started experiencing rabies symptoms such as neck pain, headache, difficulty controlling his arms, finger numbness and difficulty speaking. //

"Rabies infections in people are rare in the United States; however, once symptoms begin, rabies is almost always fatal, making it vital that an exposed person receive appropriate treatment to prevent the onset of rabies as soon as possible," Pfister said.