Ever wonder about something and then regret that you asked the question. That’s exactly what just happened to me when I decided to look at the status of rabies cases in Missouri. The new data I found was not comforting.
On the good news front, the state of Missouri does a great job of keeping records of rabies cases in the state. Missouri Department of Health and Human Services even has a month-by-month breakdown of suspected rabies cases and how many came back positive.
The newest complete month of Missouri rabies cases is obviously November 2024 which includes the following numbers:
Through the first 11 months of 2024, there are 24 confirmed positive rabies cases in Missouri. The total for last year was 32, so the good news is 2024 rabies cases are trending to be slightly down. However, year-over-year, rabies cases in Missouri have been rising for the past 4 years overall.
How can you tell if an animal in Missouri has rabies?
Just like the movie Cujo, foaming at the mouth is a real symptom. Aggression, fearfulness, or affection that isn’t normal is also a red flag. Drooling and overreaction to sound or light could also mean an animal is infected…