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Albany County was #2 in rabies cases for 2008. And for 2009, #1 is...
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Last year there were 498 confirmed cases of rabies in New York State. Most of these cases involved raccoons, bats, skunks and even some cats, foxes, cows and a horse. In 2008, the county with the highest incidents of rabies was Tompkins in central New York with 32 cases, followed by Albany (26 cases) and Erie (24 cases) counties. As of April 30th, Erie County has moved from 3rd place to 1st and Albany is a consistent 2nd.
What is interesting, when one examines the distribution of rabies cases about New York, is that there seems to be a greater number of cases around areas that are more populated. Take for example Hamilton County, which is entirely contained within the Adirondack park. In 2008 there were no confirmed cases of rabies. This is likely because far fewer people live here than in Albany county. But it is also true that human civilization tends to attract animals in concentrations, promoting the spread of the rabies virus. Some information worth mentioning from the Wadsworth Center, which conducts rabies tests for the New York State department of Health: “A rabies outbreak of unprecedented proportions spread into New York State raccoon populations from the south in 1990, spreading northward across the state at about 20 miles per year since its arrival.” “The 1993 death was the first rabies death in New York State in 49 years. Of 21 indigenously acquired human rabies cases in the United States since 1990, 19 are attributable to bat rabies exposure.” “Perhaps most disturbingly, only in two of the 19 cases was there a reported bite, while in another five reports it was concluded some physical contact, without an evident bite, may have occurred. In a number of the remaining 12 cases one or more indoor encounters with a bat had been reported, with no recognized contact.”
To learn more about rabies including symptoms and treatment, go HERE .
You can find out more about the Wadsworth Centor and rabies in New York HERE !
