Picture of a bat.

Rabies

Rabies is a fatal but preventable viral disease. It can spread to people and pets if they are bitten or scratched by a rabid animal. In the United States, rabies is mostly found in wild animals like bats, raccoons, skunks, and foxes.

The rabies virus infects the central nervous system. If a person does not receive the appropriate medical care after a potential rabies exposure, the virus can cause disease in the brain, ultimately resulting in death. Rabies can be prevented by vaccinating pets, staying away from wildlife, and seeking medical care after potential exposures before symptoms start.

Rabies virus is transmitted through direct contact (such as through broken skin or mucous membranes in the eyes, nose, or mouth) with saliva or brain/nervous system tissue from an infected animal.

People usually get rabies from the bite of a rabid animal. It is also possible, but rare, for people to get rabies from non-bite exposures, which can include scratches, abrasions, or open wounds that are exposed to saliva or other potentially infectious material from a rabid animal. Other types of contact, such as petting a rabid animal or contact with the blood, urine or feces of a rabid animal, are not associated with risk for infection and are not considered to be exposures of concern for rabies.

If you’ve been in contact with any wildlife or unfamiliar animals, particularly if you’ve been bitten or scratched, you should talk with a healthcare or public health professional to determine your risk for rabies or other illnesses. Wash any wounds immediately with soap and water and then contact your health care provider and report the bite to El Paso County Public Health.(It’s important to know that, unlike most other animals that carry rabies, many types of bats have very small teeth which may leave marks that disappear quickly. If you are unsure, seek medical advice to be safe.)

Rabies affects only mammals. Mammals are warm-blooded animals with fur. People are also mammals. Birds, snakes, and fish are not mammals, so they can’t get rabies and they can’t give it to you. But any mammal can get rabies, including people. While rabies is rare in people in the United States, with only 1 to 3 cases reported annually, about 60,000 Americans get post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) each year to prevent rabies infection after being bitten or scratched by an infected or suspected infected animal.

In the United States, more than 90% of reported cases of rabies in animals occur in wildlife. The wild animals that most commonly carry rabies in the United States are raccoons, skunks, bats, and foxes. Contact with infected bats is the leading cause of human rabies deaths in this country; at least 7 out of 10 Americans who die from rabies in the US were infected by bats. People may not recognize a bat scratch or bite, which can be very small, but these types of contact can still spread rabies.

Pets (like cats and dogs) and livestock (like cattle and horses) can also get rabies. Nearly all the pets and livestock that get rabies had not received vaccination or were not up to date on rabies vaccination. Most pets get rabies from having contact with wildlife.

You can’t tell if an animal has rabies by just looking at it—the only way to know for sure if an animal (or a person) has rabies is to perform laboratory testing. However, animals with rabies may act strangely. Some may be aggressive and try to bite you or other animals, or they may drool more than normal. (This is sometimes shown in movies as animals “foaming at the mouth.”) But not all animals with rabies will be aggressive or drooling. Other animals may act timid or shy, move slowly or act tame, or let you get close to them. Because that’s not the way wild animals usually act, you should remember that something could be wrong. Some animals may not appear ill. For the health and safety of wildlife, your pets, and yourself, leave wild animals alone, including baby animals.

There are several things you can do to protect your pet from rabies. These include making sure your pets get regular rabies vaccines, keeping pets away from wild animals, spaying or neutering pets, and calling animal control to remove stray animals from your neighborhood.

Postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) consists of a dose of human rabies immune globulin (HRIG) and rabies vaccine given on the day of the rabies exposure, and then a dose of vaccine given again on days 3, 7, and 14. For people who have never been vaccinated against rabies previously, postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) should always include administration of both HRIG and rabies vaccine. The combination of HRIG and vaccine is recommended for both bite and non-bite exposures, regardless of the interval between exposure and initiation of treatment.

People who have been previously vaccinated or are receiving pre-exposure vaccination for rabies should receive only vaccine.

Rabies is a fatal disease that can be spread from wild animals like raccoons, skunks, bats, and foxes to a person or pet by a bite or scratch, even if very small or barely noticeable. There is medication available for exposed people that will prevent rabies infection.

Take Precautions

  • Vaccinate your pets and/or livestock against rabies by using a licensed veterinarian. It is required by city and county statute that all cats and dogs have a rabies vaccination by a licensed veterinarian. Rabies shots need to be boosted, so check your pet’s records or with your veterinarian.
  • When walking or hiking with your dog, protect them and wildlife by keeping your dog on a leash.
  • Keep cats and other pets inside at night to reduce the risk of exposure to other domestic animals and wildlife. Keep dogs within your sight (in a fenced yard, or on leash) during the day while outside.
  • Contact your veterinarian promptly if you believe your pet has been exposed to a wild animal.
  • Do not touch or feed wild animals. Wild animals like skunks and foxes adapt to residential environments if food is available – please don’t leave pet food outdoors.
  • If you or a family member is bitten or scratched by a wild or unknown animal, call your doctor and El Paso County Public Health at (719) 578-3220.
  • If you encounter a lost or stray dog or cat, contact the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region for options (719) 473-1741.
  • To report an animal bite from a domestic or wild animal, go to https://www.elpasocountyhealth.org/report-an-animal-bite

How to recognize sick wildlife

  • Healthy wild animals are normally afraid of humans.
  • Sick animals often do not run away when spotted by people.
  • Wildlife suffering from rabies will often act aggressively and violently approach people or pets.
  • However, sometimes rabid animals are overly quiet and passive and want to hide. If they are hiding, leave them alone. Rabid wildlife might also stumble or have trouble walking.
  • Report sick or diseased animals to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife at (719) 227-5200.

  • Healthy wild animals are normally afraid of humans.
  • Sick animals often do not run away when spotted by people.
  • Wildlife suffering from rabies will often act aggressively and violently approach people or pets.
  • However, sometimes rabid animals are overly quiet and passive and want to hide. If they are hiding, leave them alone. Rabid wildlife might also stumble or have trouble walking.
  • Report sick or diseased animals to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife at (719) 227-5200.
image of a dogs nose and eyes

How to prevent rabies in pets

  • Visit your veterinarian with your pet on a regular basis and keep rabies vaccinations up-to-date for all cats, ferrets and dogs.
  • Maintain control of your pets by keeping cats and ferrets indoors and keeping dogs under direct supervision.
  • Spay or neuter your pets to help reduce the number of unwanted pets that may not be properly cared for or vaccinated regularly.
  • Call animal control to remove all stray animals from your neighborhood since these animals may be unvaccinated or ill.
people hiking on a trail

How to prevent rabies in people

  • Leave all wildlife alone.
  • Know the risk: Contact with infected bats is the leading cause of rabies deaths in people in the U.S., followed by exposure to rabid dogs while traveling internationally.
  • Wash animal bites or scratches immediately with soap and water.
  • If you are bitten, scratched, or unsure, talk to a healthcare provider about whether you need postexposure prophylaxis. Rabies in people is 100% preventable through prompt appropriate medical care.
  • Vaccinate your pets and protect them and your family.

Bat Rabies Prevention

Bats are an important part of our ecosystem, which is why it is very important to leave them alone and never handle them. You can’t tell if a bat has rabies just by looking at it; rabies can be confirmed only by having the animal tested in a laboratory.

  • Call El Paso County Public Health immediately at 719-578-3220.
    Anyone who touched or had contact with the bat or its saliva could be at risk of getting rabies, which is almost always fatal once symptoms begin. Rabies can be prevented if treatment is given before symptoms appear, so quickly identifying anyone who has had contact is important.
  • It is also very important to try to contain the bat, if possible, so that it can be tested for rabies. www.cdc.gov/rabies/bats/contact/capture.html
  • If you find a live bat on the ground, don’t touch it. Notify Public Health so we can determine whether it needs to be safely captured and tested for rabies or left alone.
  • Report the bat and its location to COHELP at 1-877-462-2911.
  • Place a box or other container over the bat to contain it. Be careful not to damage the bat in any way since it must be intact for rabies testing.
  • Do not handle or touch sick or injured animals including bats.
  • If you find a live bat on the ground, don’t touch it. Notify Public Health so we can determine whether it needs to be safely captured and tested for rabies or left alone.
  • Report the bat and its location to COHELP at 1-877-462-2911.
  • Place a box or other container over the bat to contain it. Be careful not to damage the bat in any way since it must be intact for rabies testing.
  • Do not handle or touch sick or injured animals including bats.
  • Testing of already DEAD bats is situation dependent.
  • If you find a dead bat on your property, use heavy gloves (like leather work gloves), then pick it up or scoop it up with a dust pan or shovel. Put it in sealed container or jar or place it in a plastic bag that is within another heavy-weight plastic bag, such as a zip-lock bag. Store it in a cooler or refrigerator until you have notified Public Health.
  • Await recommendations from Public Health.
  • To keep bats out, make sure all open doors and windows have screens that will prevent the bat from flying inside your home and entry. This should be done during the winter (November-March) when bats have left for hibernation.
  • The entry points are often near the roof edge such as under the eaves, soffits, and bands around the chimney.
  • A variety of materials can be used to seal openings including 1/4 inch hardware cloth, fly screening, sheet metal, wood caulking, expandable polyurethane, or fiberglass insulation.
  • Do not disturb roosting bats.
  • Many private animal control companies can further assist with bat proofing your home.