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A “nearly 100% fatal” disease is the rise across the United States, prompting federal officials to issue a nationwide health alert.
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Since July, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has seen a sharp increase in the number of people exposed to rabies.
Meanwhile, officials in several California counties have reported increases in animals testing positive for the deadly viral disease — specifically bats.
How common is rabies in California, and what are the health risks? What should you do if you’re bitten by a rabid animal?
Here’s what you should know:
What is rabies?
Rabies is a deadly but preventable viral disease that primarily affects the central nervous system, the CDC said.
Rabies is “nearly 100% fatal,” the federal health agency said, but can be prevented when “people who have been exposed receive appropriate administration of the rabies vaccine before symptoms begin.”
The disease, which spreads through bites and scratches from infected animals, is most commonly carried by bats, foxes, raccoons and skunks.
People whose jobs involve frequent contact with animals, including agricultural workers, animal control workers and veterinarians, face higher risks of rabies exposure, the CDC said.
How common is rabies in California and the US?
According to the CDC, an estimated 1.4 million people seek medical care after coming to contact with animals in the United States.
Approximately 100,000 people receive rabies PEP annually following a potential exposure, the CDC said.
In California, rabies is found in about 200 animals each year, most of them wild, according to the California Department of Public Health.
“Rabies infects very few humans in the United States and California,” the state Public Health Agency said.
A total of 17 people have been infected with rabies in California since 1980, most recently in 2024, state officials said.
What are common signs of rabies?
In humans, early rabies symptoms are “very similar to those of the flu,” the Mayo Clinic said.
According to the CDC, initial signs of rabies can include weakness or discomfort, fever or headache, as well as discomfort, prickling or an itching sensation at the site of the bite.
Experts say signs of “advanced rabies” include:
- Anxiety
- Confusion
- Agitation
- Hallucinations
- Being very thirsty but panicked by fluids
- Having lots of saliva
- Aggressive behavior like thrashing and biting
“Nearly all people infected with rabies will go into a coma and die one to two weeks after the start of symptoms,” according to the California Department of Public Health.
Exposure to rabies, demand for shots increases in US
On Sept. 10, the CDC issued a Health Alert Network health advisory in response to “recent reports of increases in human exposures to rabid or possibly rabid animals” and as well as errors administering post-exposure medication.
Since July, the CDC said, multiple U.S. jurisdictions have reported “local increases” in people being exposed to rabies.
From July through August, the CDC said it received 17% more rabies-related inquiries than during the same period in 2025, including “reports of mass exposure events.”
During this time frame, at least eight state health departments reported increased use of rabies post-exposure prophylaxis as well as PEP administration errors.
As of Sept. 2, demand for two rabies vaccines had increased roughly 33 % in 2026 compared to the same period the previous year, according to weekly pharmacy data tracked by the CDC.
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Use of two rabies immunoglobulins, which are given immediately after exposure to prevent the virus from taking root, increased 76% year-over-year, the CDC said.
Where are rabies cases being reported in California?
Multiple counties in California have reported rising numbers of animals testing positive for rabies so far in 2026.
In the Bay Area, five rabies-positive bats were found in residential and commercial neighbors in west and north Berkeley, the Berkeley Public Health Division confirmed Aug. 26.
The city has seen zero to two rabid bats annually from 2020 to 2025.
“No human rabies cases have been identified in the city of Berkeley,” officials said.
In June, Alameda County officials confirmed that a domestic cat in Pleasanton had tested positive for rabies.
A dead bat found floating in a Sutter swimming pool in July tested positive for rabies, according to Sutter County officials.
Sutter County health officials also confirmed a bat captured inside a Yuba City home in August was rabid, The Sacramento Bee previously reported.
It was the third rabid bat found in the area in recent months, The Sacramento Bee reported in early September.
Also in September, Yosemite National Park officials confirmed that a big brown bat found dead outside the Curry Village Showerhouse in May tested positive for rabies, The Fresno Bee reported.
As of Sept. 11, Los Angeles County had recorded 61 cases of rabid bat so far in 2026.
“Rabies in bats has increased in the past few years in Los Angeles County,” the Los Angeles County Public Health Department said on its website.” About 15% to 20% of bats tested locally have rabies, but less than 1% of healthy bats in the wild carry the virus.”
In San Diego County, 43 bats had tested positive for rabies as of March.
Neither CDC officials nor local officials have identified a single clear cause behind the uptick.
What should I do if I was exposed to rabies?
“Anyone who has been bitten, scratched or otherwise potentially exposed to a rabid animal should promptly contact a healthcare provider or public health department for guidance,” the CDC said in its health advisory.
Each year, about 100,000 people in the United States are inoculated with the rabies vaccine after being exposed to the disease, the CDC said.
People exposed to rabies receive four to five shots of the vaccine, which is nearly 100% effective at preventing the disease from developing.
The CDC said clinicians should “conduct careful, evidence-based rabies risk assessments” and follow current recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices when post-exposure vaccination or treatment is needed.
How can I prevent the spread of rabies?
According to the California Department of Public Health, you should be wary of animals exhibiting “strange or unnatural behavior.”
Wild animals with rabies may seem unusually tame or unafraid to approach people. Critters normally active at night may appear during the day.
You should also look out for pets that have trouble walking, eating or drinking, or show a personality change.
To protect yourself and your pets from animal bites, the state agency said, you should:
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- Leave all wild animals alone. Do not approach, touch or feed any animals that you don’t know.
- Never adopt or bring wild animals into your home.
- Remove food that attracts wild animals by keeping garbage in closed, secure containers.
- Don’t leave pet food outside overnight.
- Seal holes or gaps in your home where bats and other animals could enter.
- Take extra care to avoid animals when traveling abroad.
- Always ask permission before you approach or try to pet another person’s dog that you don’t know.
- Keep pet cats indoors as much as possible.
- If you take your pets off your property, keep them on a leash and under your control at all time