To assess the epidemiology of rabies in rodents and lagomorphs and provide information that will enable public health officials to make recommendations regarding postexposure prophylaxis for humans after contact with these animals.

Dec 16, 2023 · Can rats have rabies? Here we explore if they can carry this deadly disease and what you should do if you are bitten by one.

Aug 27, 2023 · Rats, like most rodents, can carry the rabies virus. However, there’s no evidence of rats transmitting rabies to humans. Even so, these agile creatures are dangerous because they spread the “Black Creek Canal hantavirus,” the “lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus,” and the “Lassa virus,” too.

Learn about rabies animal surveillance in the US as well as rabies prevention and control efforts. This page provides the protocol for safe submission of specimens for rabies testing. Rabies is …

Jan 10, 2024 · Small rodents (e.g., squirrels, hamsters, guinea pigs, gerbils, chipmunks, rats, and mice) and lagomorphs (rabbits and hares), whether wild or kept as pets, are rarely found to be infected with rabies and have not been known to transmit rabies to humans.

May 25, 2016 · Rabies transmission from rats is not a concern. The U.S. Public Health Service does not recommend rabies vaccine shots for someone who has been bitten by a rat, and about 50,000 people are bitten by rats each year in the U.S.

Apr 7, 2025 · Generally speaking, rats are extremely unlikely to carry rabies. While technically possible, it’s so rare that public health guidelines typically don’t recommend rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) after a rat bite.

Jan 30, 2024 · Rats are not typical carriers of rabies, and the incidence of rabies in rat populations is extremely low. In this post, we’ll discuss why rats are less likely to transmit rabies compared …

Aug 28, 2022 · Rats get rabies when they are attacked or bitten by an infected animal. This happens when it gets wounded, and the infected animal’s saliva enters its bloodstream. They can also get it by consuming an infected animal or during a fight for food, water, and territory with infected animals like skunks or raccoons.

Mar 1, 2024 · According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), small rodents, including rats, are extremely unlikely to have rabies and are not a public health concern for rabies transmission.