00:00Rabies never left. Why Americans must stay vigilant against this fatal threat.
00:06Rabies feels like an old disease. Something from another era.
00:11Something most Americans barely think about.
00:14But rabies never left.
00:17Every year, thousands of animals in the United States test positive,
00:21and most of them are wildlife, bats, raccoons, skunks, foxes,
00:25and other animals that can bring the virus close to homes, farms, pets, and people.
00:30That is why reports of new clusters across multiple states are getting attention.
00:35Rabies is rare in humans in the U.S., but it is almost always fatal once symptoms begin.
00:41That is the part that makes public health officials take every possible exposure seriously.
00:46The danger usually begins quietly.
00:49A bat in a bedroom.
00:51A raccoon acting strangely in daylight.
00:54A skunk stumbling near a yard.
00:56A fox biting a pet.
00:58A cat or dog that is not vaccinated.
01:01The virus spreads through saliva, usually from a bite or a scratch that breaks skin.
01:07And because wild animals do not always look obviously sick at first, people can underestimate the risk.
01:13The safest advice is simple.
01:16Do not touch wild animals.
01:18Do not rescue bats, raccoons, skunks, or foxes by hand.
01:23Keep pets vaccinated.
01:25Call animal control or local health officials if wildlife acts unusually bold, weak, aggressive, confused, or unable to move normally.
01:34And if a person is bitten, scratched, or wakes up with a bat in the room, they should seek medical
01:40advice immediately.
01:42Eerts.
01:42Rabies prevention works when people act fast.
01:46That is why the outbreak headlines matter.
01:49Not because America is helpless.
01:51But because one ignored bite, one unvaccinated pet, or one cute wild animal can turn into a life-or-death
01:59emergency.
02:00Rabies is still here.
02:02And the best defense is respect, distance, vaccination, and speed.
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