Five people died from rabies last year in the United States—the highest single-year total in a decade. Four of the deaths were linked to bat exposure, which remains a dangerously under-recognized vector of disease, according to rabies experts.
Three of the deaths, which occurred in Idaho, Illinois and Texas, were included in a CDC report. They took place over a five-week period from Sept. 28 to Nov. 10, 2021 (MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2022;71[2]:31-32).