Rabies is one of the deadliest diseases on Earth. If you are bitten or scratched by a rabies infected animal, and you do not seek medical treatment before you experience symptoms, your chance of death is nearly 100%. Fortunately, some countries have reduced or eradicated rabies.

Take a look at this map from the CDC. There are three main vectors for rabies: dogs, wildlife, and bats. This map excludes bats, so keep that in mind. All of the blank countries and territories are rabies free. The other countries have cases of uncontrolled rabies among dogs, wildlife, or both. Thanks to pet vaccinations, far fewer countries have cases of rabies spread by dogs, which cause 99% of human rabies deaths outside the United States. So what about the bats? We’ll get to that in a moment.

Countries listed as “rabies free” are technically rabies free. “Rabies” specifically refers to the virus known as Lyssavirus rabies, and it has been eradicated in Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and most of Europe. This has been accomplished through pet vaccinations and efforts to vaccinate wild animals. For example, in Switzerland, scientists successfully vaccinated wild foxes by placing chicken heads laced with the rabies vaccine in the Swiss Alps.

Okay, now, I have to tell you about the bats. In the United States, bats are responsible for 7 out of 10 deaths among people who are infected with rabies. Besides rabies, there are over a dozen other strains of Lyssavirus that exist, and bats are the main carriers of these viruses. Not-so-fun-fact: Lyssavirus is named after Lyssa, the Greek goddess of rage, frenzy, and rabies in animals.

While many countries have eradicated Lyssavirus rabies, other strains of Lyssavirus remain at large. In Australia, you don’t have to worry about getting rabies from a dingo, but the Land Down Under has another virus that’s similar to rabies: the Australian bat lyssavirus (ABLV) aka Lyssavirus australis. Five species of giant bats called flying foxes are known to harbor this strain, and over the years, it has caused at least 3 deaths.

Similarly, in Europe, there are at least two types of European bat lyssavirus (EBL), and one documented death in the UK. The victim was a man who had a long-time career as a bat conservationist and got bit by while handling a Daubenton’s bat. Because the UK is free of Lyssavirus rabies, he did not know to seek treatment until it was too late.

Despite the virus, you don’t need to fear bats, but you should definitely exercise caution around them. Don’t touch bats or enter areas where there might be colonies of them. If you do happen to get bitten or scratched by a bat, please seek medical attention, even if you live in a “rabies free” country.

On that note, ANY mammal can get rabies, so please vaccinate your pets and avoid contact with unfamiliar mammals. There are approved rabies vaccines available for cats, dogs, ferrets, horses, cattle and sheep. Keep yourself and your pets safe from this terrible disease.

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