HEALTH & WELLNESS
Information, Prevention & Quality of Life
By Dr. Laura Méndez
Health Analyst
The Sun Post News
Florida health officials have issued a new rabies warning following confirmation of the disease in an unvaccinated cat in Hillsborough County, bringing renewed attention to a rare but almost always fatal disease once symptoms develop.
The Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough County issued a 60-day rabies alert on September 14, 2026, after rabies was confirmed in a cat found in the Gibsonton area, near U.S. Highway 41 and Alice Avenue.
The Florida alert comes amid broader concern nationally. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has also reported a recent increase in human exposures to rabid or potentially rabid animals and increased use of rabies post-exposure treatment.
There is no evidence that Florida is experiencing a human rabies epidemic. But the developments reinforce an important public-health message: a bite, scratch or significant exposure to a potentially infected animal should never be ignored.
What happened in Florida?
The confirmed case involved a cat with no known history of rabies vaccination. The animal was found dead in the Gibsonton area on September 11.
Health authorities subsequently established an alert area generally extending from the Alafia River to the north, Bullfrog Creek to the south, Alafia Street to the east and Hillsborough Bay to the west.
Officials are reminding residents and visitors that rabies remains present among Florida’s wildlife.
In the United States, animals most commonly associated with rabies include bats, raccoons, skunks and foxes. Domestic animals such as cats and dogs can also become infected, particularly when they are not properly vaccinated.
National numbers are also drawing attention
The CDC recently reported receiving 17% more rabies-related consultations during July and August 2026 than during the same period in 2025.
At least eight state health departments also reported increases in the administration of rabies post-exposure prophylaxis, known as PEP, errors involving those treatments, or both.
According to pharmacy data cited by the CDC, use of rabies vaccines increased by an estimated 33%, while use of human rabies immune globulin increased approximately 76% compared with the same period a year earlier.
Those figures do not mean human rabies cases have increased at the same rate.
They can reflect more suspected exposures, greater public awareness, increased reporting and preventive treatment following encounters with potentially infected animals.
Why is rabies so dangerous?
Rabies is caused by a virus that attacks the central nervous system and can ultimately produce severe inflammation of the brain.
Once clinical symptoms appear, rabies is nearly 100% fatal.
But there is an extremely important distinction.
Rabies can be prevented after an exposure when appropriate treatment is administered before symptoms develop.
Human rabies remains rare in the United States, with fewer than 10 cases typically reported each year. Yet approximately 100,000 Americans receive post-exposure treatment annually following possible contact with the virus.
That enormous difference demonstrates why rapid evaluation and prevention are so important.
How is rabies transmitted?
The most familiar route is the bite of an infected mammal.
The virus is primarily transmitted through saliva and can enter the body through broken skin or through mucous membranes such as the eyes, nose or mouth.
Scratches can also present a potential risk if contaminated with infectious saliva.
This means even a seemingly minor encounter with wildlife deserves attention when a bite, scratch or direct saliva exposure may have occurred.
What should you do after a bite or possible exposure?
Florida health authorities recommend immediately washing the wound thoroughly with soap and water for approximately five to 10 minutes.
Medical evaluation should then be sought.
When possible, residents should remember what the animal looked like and where the encounter occurred. Animal control or local public-health authorities can help determine whether the animal should be located, observed or tested.
Do not attempt to capture a potentially rabid wild animal yourself.
Public-health professionals can then evaluate whether rabies post-exposure treatment is necessary.
What does treatment involve?
For someone who has never been vaccinated against rabies, post-exposure prophylaxis generally includes thorough wound care, human rabies immune globulin and a series of four rabies vaccine doses administered on days 0, 3, 7 and 14.
Some immunocompromised patients may require an additional dose.
People who were previously vaccinated follow a different protocol and generally do not require rabies immune globulin.
The CDC has emphasized the importance of administering PEP correctly after identifying errors involving vaccine schedules, injection sites and immune globulin.
Not every animal encounter requires rabies shots
This distinction is also important.
Seeing, touching or being near an animal does not automatically mean someone needs rabies treatment.
Public-health professionals consider several factors: the species involved, whether a bite or saliva exposure actually occurred, the circumstances of the encounter, local rabies activity and whether the animal can be safely observed or tested.
The CDC therefore recommends an individual risk assessment rather than automatically administering PEP after every animal encounter.
There is also a significant financial consideration. The CDC estimates that a complete course of rabies post-exposure prophylaxis can cost approximately $11,000 to $14,000 per person.
Treatment should never be avoided when medically indicated, but unnecessary treatment can also be prevented through proper public-health assessment.
Protecting pets protects families
Keeping dogs, cats and other eligible domestic animals properly vaccinated against rabies remains one of the most effective prevention strategies.
Florida families should also keep pets supervised, prevent them from interacting with wildlife, avoid feeding stray or wild animals and secure garbage and pet food that could attract raccoons or other animals.
If a pet is bitten or attacked by wildlife, the animal should be evaluated by a veterinarian promptly.
Why bats deserve special attention
Bat exposures present a particular challenge because bites can sometimes be small and difficult to recognize.
A bat discovered inside a room with a sleeping person, young child or someone unable to reliably determine whether physical contact occurred may require consultation with medical or public-health authorities.
The presence of a bat does not automatically mean rabies treatment is necessary. The circumstances of each exposure should be evaluated individually.
What does this mean for Central Florida?
The current rabies alert applies specifically to part of Hillsborough County. It does not mean Orange, Osceola or other Central Florida counties are under the same alert.
However, rabies circulates among wildlife throughout Florida.
For families in Orlando, Kissimmee and surrounding communities, the practical recommendations remain the same: keep pets vaccinated, avoid direct contact with wildlife and never dismiss an unexplained animal bite or scratch.
Unusual animal behavior — particularly a normally nocturnal wild animal behaving abnormally, appearing disoriented or showing unexplained aggression — should be treated cautiously and reported to appropriate authorities.
Evidence, prevention — and perspective
The established medical evidence is unequivocal: rabies is an extraordinarily dangerous infection after symptoms appear, but it is highly preventable when a genuine exposure is recognized and treated promptly.
What health authorities are not saying is equally important.
Florida is not currently facing a human rabies epidemic.
The purpose of these warnings is prevention.
The combination of a confirmed animal case in Florida and increased rabies-related activity reported nationally by the CDC provides a timely reminder for families across the state:
When a potential rabies exposure occurs, recognizing the risk and acting quickly can literally save a life.
⚠️ EMERGENCY ACTION: POSSIBLE RABIES EXPOSURE
If you or a family member is bitten, scratched or may have been exposed to saliva from a potentially rabid animal:
1. WASH THE AREA IMMEDIATELY.
Thoroughly clean the wound with soap and running water for at least 5 to 10 minutes.
2. SEEK MEDICAL EVALUATION PROMPTLY.
Do not wait for symptoms. Rabies prevention is most effective when appropriate treatment begins before symptoms develop.
3. REPORT THE EXPOSURE.
Contact your local Florida Department of Health county office or Animal Control so the animal and the circumstances of the exposure can be evaluated.
4. DO NOT CAPTURE THE ANIMAL YOURSELF.
Keep a safe distance. If possible, remember its appearance, location and direction of travel so trained authorities can respond.
5. BAT IN A BEDROOM? GET PROFESSIONAL ADVICE.
If a bat is found in a room with a sleeping person, young child or someone unable to reliably say whether contact occurred, contact healthcare or public-health authorities for an exposure assessment.
6. SEVERE INJURY? CALL 911.
Call 911 for uncontrolled bleeding, serious trauma, difficulty breathing, loss of consciousness or another immediate medical emergency.
DO NOT WAIT FOR RABIES SYMPTOMS
Once clinical rabies symptoms develop, the disease is nearly always fatal. Prompt post-exposure treatment can prevent the disease before symptoms begin.
