“We’re building subdivisions into former wildlife areas,” said Dr. Jonathan Sleeman, a wildlife veterinarian at the University of Minnesota and subject matter expert for Beacon, an infectious disease surveillance program based at Boston University. “Wildlife are increasingly adapting to human habitation, and we’re encountering the wildlife more frequently.”
Climate change could play a role, too, experts said. Milder winters and longer summers could increase animal populations and extend outdoor recreation seasons. Droughts and wildfires could also stress wild animals or destroy their natural habitats, forcing creatures like bats to seek refuge in more human-dominated environments.
“At some point, they have to roost in buildings, in bridges, in urban environments, in urban structures, increasing the contact between bats and humans,” said Dr. Ricardo Castillo, a veterinary epidemiologist at the University of Pennsylvania.
Veterinarians and public health officials have also grown alarmed about an apparent increase in vaccine skepticism among pet owners. Last month, Alabama’s Department of Public Health warned about an increase in rabies cases in domestic animals. In the news release, the state’s public health veterinarian attributed the rise in cases among cats and dogs to “animals not being kept current on their rabies vaccinations.”
It will require more time and data to determine whether and how the national rabies landscape is changing. But the rise of animal vaccine hesitancy, combined with the loss of public health capacity and expertise, could compound the risks, experts said.
“It’s worrisome as you go into the future,” said Rodney Rohde, a microbiologist and rabies expert at Texas State University. “If you let your guard down just for two or three years, you’re just so far behind the effort to control it that it can be hard to catch up.”
Apoorva Mandavilli contributed reporting.
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