Volume 11, Number 12—December 2005
Research
Rabies Postexposure Prophylaxis, New York, 1995–2000
, Nadine Y. Bowden*, Millicent Eidson†, Jeffrey D. Wyatt‡, and Cathleen A. Hanlon*
Table 2
Human rabies postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) by setting, 4 counties, New York, 1995–2000*
| Animal source | Urban, n (%) | Rural, n (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Dog† | 463 (93) | 35 (7) |
| Cat | 386 (74) | 137 (26) |
| Other domestic‡ | 16 (44) | 20 (56) |
| All domestic | 865 (82) | 192 (18) |
| Raccoon | 162 (65) | 88 (35) |
| Bat§ | 456 (69) | 207 (31) |
| Fox | 50 (59) | 35 (41) |
| Skunk | 28 (61) | 18 (39) |
| Other wild¶ | 19 (51) | 18 (49) |
| All wild | 715 (66) | 366 (34) |
| Total# | 1,580 (74) | 558 (26) |
| Annual rate/100,000 | 22.6 | 56.9 |
*Rabies PEP cases reported to the health departments of 2 relatively urban counties, Onondaga and Monroe, and 2 relatively rural counties, Cayuga and Wayne.
†Human PEP cases from dog exposures were significantly higher in urban counties (p<0.001).
‡Other domestic animal exposures included 2 cows (10 cases), 3 ferrets (4 cases), 1 monkey (1 case), and 1 rabbit (1 case) in urban counties and 5 cows (9 cases) and 2 horses (11 cases) in rural counties.
§Human PEP cases due to bat exposures were significantly higher in urban counties (p<0.001).
¶Other wild animal exposures included 8 woodchucks (8 cases), 4 opossums (5 cases), 1 beaver (2 cases), 1 rat (1 case), 1 coyote (1 case), 1 mouse (1 case), and 1 otter (1 case) in urban counties and 5 deer (5 cases), 4 woodchucks (4 cases), 2 squirrels (3 cases), 2 coyotes (2 cases), 2 chipmunks (2 cases), 1 beaver (1 case), and 1 opossum (1 case) in rural counties.
#78 PEP cases excluded because animal source was missing.