Rupprecht C E, Smith J S, Fekadu M, Childs J E
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 30333, USA.
Emerg Infect Dis. 1995 Oct-Dec;1(4):107-14. doi: 10.3201/eid0104.950401.
The epidemiology of rabies in the United States has changed substantially during the last half century, as the source of the disease has changed from domesticated animals to wildlife, principally raccoons, skunks, foxes, and bats. Moreover, the changes observed among affected wildlife populations have not occurred without human influence. Rather, human attraction to the recreational and economic resources provided by wildlife has contributed to the reemergence of rabies as a major zoonosis. Although human deaths caused by rabies have declined recently to an average of one or two per year, the estimated costs associated with the decrease in deaths amount to hundreds of millions of dollars annually. In future efforts to control rabies harbored by free-ranging animal reservoirs, public health professionals will have to apply imaginative, safe, and cost-effective solutions to this age-old malady in addition to using traditional measures.
在过去的半个世纪里，美国狂犬病的流行病学发生了重大变化，因为该病的源头已从家养动物转变为野生动物，主要是浣熊、臭鼬、狐狸和蝙蝠。此外，受影响野生动物种群中观察到的变化并非在没有人类影响的情况下发生。相反，人类对野生动物提供的娱乐和经济资源的喜爱导致狂犬病再次成为一种主要的人畜共患病。尽管狂犬病导致的人类死亡最近已降至平均每年一两人，但与死亡人数减少相关的估计成本每年高达数亿美元。在未来控制自由放养动物宿主携带的狂犬病的工作中，公共卫生专业人员除了采用传统措施外，还必须针对这种古老的疾病采用富有想象力、安全且具有成本效益的解决方案。
