In late 2023, a stray kitten in Omaha, Neb., died after contracting a strain of rabies not seen before in that state A crew of health investigators immediately went to work to find the source of the infection, and to vaccinate local wildlife Those efforts may have stopped further spread of the RRVV strain of rabies in Nebraska and surrounding states FRIDAY, Oct. 18, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- The 2023 illness and death in Nebraska of a stray kitten infected with rabies set off a large-scale effort to discover how the feline became infected in the first place.
That's because the strain of rabies the 6-week old kitten carried had never been detected so far west: The nearest other cases of the Eastern raccoon rabies virus variant (RRVV) were on the East Coast, almost 850 miles away, investigators explained. "A coordinated multiagency response was initiated to determine if local transmission of RRVV was occurring and to implement a wildlife vaccination program," said a team led by , an investigator with the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The kitten was found in Omaha and tested positive for the RRVV strain of rabies "after dying with neurologic signs and having bitten and scratched its caretakers," the research team noted. Ten people had potential exposures to rabies through contact with the kitten; all were quickly given treatments that prevented the deadly neurological disease.
"Rabies is a fatal, yet preventable, viral disease primarily transmitted through the .