The CDC issued a Health Alert Network Health Advisory after rabies-related inquiries rose 17% from July through August 2026 compared with the same period in 2025. The alert followed reports of increased human exposures to rabid or possibly rabid animals and errors in rabies post-exposure prophylaxis administration.
In a rabies in bats case, a single animal contact became a fatal diagnosis once care was delayed, which is the outcome the CDC is trying to prevent in people who need PEP.
CDC data from July and August
Since July 2026, multiple United States jurisdictions have reported local increases in human rabies exposures involving known rabies vectors or animals in which rabies is less commonly reported. From July through August 2026, the CDC received 17% more rabies-related inquiries than during the same period in 2025, showing a rise in requests for guidance before treatment decisions are made.
During that same period, at least eight state health departments reported increased rabies PEP use, PEP administration errors, or both. The reports point to a treatment process that depends on exposure assessment, wound care, vaccination, and immunoglobulin dosing under ACIP recommendations.
Rabies vaccine and HRIG use
Weekly pharmacy data as of September 2, 2026, showed estimated utilization increases of 33% for the two rabies vaccines licensed in the United States and 76% for the two rabies immunoglobulins licensed in the United States, compared with the same time period last year. The licensed vaccines are Imovax® and RabAvert®, and the licensed HRIG products are KEDRAB™ and HyperRab™.
That rise matters because rabies is nearly 100% fatal once symptoms start, but it can be prevented when PEP is given appropriately before symptoms begin. The CDC also said there is currently no shortage of human rabies vaccine or human rabies immunoglobulin in the United States, even as use increased.
PEP in the United States
About 100,000 people receive rabies PEP in the United States each year after a potential exposure, and an estimated 1.4 million people seek medical care after animal contact and are evaluated each year. People who have been bitten, scratched, or exposed to oral secretions from an animal should get exposure assessment quickly so clinicians and healthcare facilities can decide whether PEP is appropriate.
Clinicians and healthcare facilities are expected to follow ACIP recommendations and administer PEP only when appropriate. The open question left by the CDC data is which specific jurisdictions or exposure events drove the July and August increase.
