Utah annual rabies surveillance report
2021
Summary
In 2021, a total of 18 bats and 1 fox tested positive for rabies virus in Utah. These positive animals resulted in 12 Utahns and 12 Utah pets with a confirmed exposure to rabies.
Of the 168 bats tested for rabies in Utah, 11% were positive. Positive bats were identified in Beaver (1), Cache (4), Davis (2), Morgan (1), Salt Lake (4), Sevier (1), Summit (1), Utah (3), and Washington (1) counties. The species of these 18 positive bats were: Mexican free-tailed (6, 33%), Myotis (6, 33%), Big brown (2, 11%), Silver-haired (2, 11%), Hoary (1, 6%), and Western pipistrelle (1, 6%). The positive fox was found in Washington county. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed the fox specimen had the Western pipistrelle bat variant.
In 2021, 313 animals were submitted to the Utah Public Health Laboratory (UPHL) for rabies testing. The number of each animal species tested for rabies is listed below. The percentage of the total tests for each species is indicated in parentheses.
- 168 bats (54%)
- 61 dogs (19%)
- 48 cats (15%)
- 11 raccoons (4%)
- 6 skunks (2%)
- 2 foxes (1%)
- 17 other species (5%)
- These species included coyote (2), mink (2), squirrel (2), bobcat (1), cougar (1), dog/wolf hybrid (1), ferret (1), mountain lion (1), rabbit (1), rat (1), ringtail (1), and unknown (3).
Background: Rabies is a preventable viral disease of mammals most often transmitted through the bite of a rabid animal. In Utah, all rabies testing for animals is performed at the UPHL. Animals believed to be a risk for rabies transmission are prioritized for testing. Nearly all of those have potentially exposed a human or domestic animal. Rabies is primarily found in bats in Utah. In each of the past five years (2016-2021), an average of 16 bats tested positive for rabies. Before the positive foxes in 2020 and 2021, the last non-bat rabid animal identified through testing was a skunk in 2014 and, before that, a fox in 2006. All 4 of these terrestrial mammals were infected with a bat variant of rabies virus. Because human rabies is nearly always fatal, it is critical to report all possible rabies exposures to public health to ensure life-saving postexposure prophylaxis is provided when necessary.