The incubation period ranges from 10 days to 7 years, with the average period 3 to 7 weeks.

In the past, human cases usually resulted from a dog bite, but most recently cases of human rabies have been linked to rabies virus carried by bats. In the United States there have not been any rabies cases due to dog bites for a number of years. Worldwide, dogs still pose a significant risk for transmitting rabies. Bats, skunks, raccoons, foxes, and other animals are other sources of rabies virus. There are an estimated 15,000 cases of rabies worldwide each year. Few cases occur in the United States (only 3 reported in 1991 and 9 in 1994) because of extensive animal vaccination programs.

The threat of rabies causes extreme fear on the part of people who think they may have been exposed and health care workers who must contend with possible exposures. In New Hampshire in October of 1994, an unknown number of individuals were exposed to a rabid kitten. Because exposure could not be well documented, 665 individuals received rabies prophylaxis at a cost of $1.5 million. This was an extreme reaction by the public to possible exposure.

The Centers for Disease Control is presently making recommendations to help prevent unnecessary treatment in questionably exposed individuals.

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