Health Officials Warn of Rise in Rabies Cases

American officials are sounding the alarm after multiple attacks on pets and people by rabid animals across the country, DailyMail.com reports.

Last March, a rabies-infected raccoon attacked several theme park attendees in Pennsylvania. A month before, a hiker in Rhode Island had to fight off a rabid coyote that attacked him and his dog. In May, a cat with rabies attacked a Staten Island resident, and a rabid coyote in Massachusetts went after two people who were walking through a park.

The most recent case was earlier this month in Missouri, when a rabid raccoon attacked a pair of dogs and rabid bats were discovered in two different houses.

These incidents and others have led health officials in Florida, Delaware, and New York to issue warnings about the disease.

Dr. Thomas Moore, who chairs the Department of Infectious Disease at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans, told the news outlet that "it is very rare for anyone to get diagnosed with rabies, and when it happens, it is sensational — people will hear about it."

He added, "Normally, what happens is if there is an unprovoked animal attack then people get worried about it, and they may get the rabies vaccine."

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