Rabies, the viral disease known for being transmitted by infected dogs, bats, raccoons, foxes, and skunks, can also infect humans if they are bitten and/or come into contact with the saliva of an affected animal.

Rabies is notorious for its nearly 100% fatality rate upon the development of symptoms¹, so it is crucial to receive care as soon as possible if you do suspect you’ve been infected. If you have been bitten by a wild animal, follow these steps:

1. Thoroughly wash the impacted area with soap and water
2. Seek medical attention as soon as you can
3. If the animal was a bat, attempt to capture it… this may save you from rabies shots down the road (learn how to bat proof your home)
4. Call the Allegany County Department of Health at (585) 268-9253 to notify them of the bite. If the animal is captured, let us know so we can submit it for rabies testing
5. If animal is found to be positive for rabies, or animal has escaped, ACDOH will assess who all requires rabies shots

Prevention is also important, as, ideally, we would want to prevent this encounter with the wild animal from ever occurring in the first place. In this way, it is important to keep your distance from animals who are acting strangely. This could mean they are acting either overly aggressive or unusually docile. If you do see a wild animal acting in one of these two ways, do not hesitate to report it to local Animal Control or New York State DEC at (716) 372-0645.

It is also important to make sure your domesticated animals, be they cats or dogs, are up to date on their rabies vaccinations. Not only will this help their body to fight off the disease if they do encounter a wild animal who is infected, but it can also save you and your family members, seeing as how they wouldn’t transfer the disease to you. If you would like to get your pets vaccinated, the Allegany County Department of Health offers four free rabies clinics each year! More information can be found at https://www.alleganyco.gov/departments/health/environmental-health/#rabies

¹Yang, C., Dang, M., Wu, L., Jin, G., Deng, Q., Chen, Y., Jin, S., Chen, W., & Zhang, C. (2025). Disparities in Global Rabies Burden from GBD 2021: Children, older adults, and low-SDI countries at continued risk. PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 19(10), e0013630. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0013630