10/01/2026
🦠 Rabies is nearly 100% fatal once symptoms develop—but it is also nearly 100% preventable with timely action.
In my latest interview with Contagion Live, I discuss the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-reported 17% rise in calls about potential human rabies exposures this summer and why that does not necessarily mean human rabies cases are increasing.
The key is recognizing an exposure and making the right post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) decision.
🔬 A few reminders:
• Never wait for symptoms after a potential exposure.
• Immediately wash bites or scratches thoroughly with soap and water.
• Seek medical/public health guidance promptly.
• Correct administration of rabies vaccine and, when indicated, HRIG can be lifesaving.
• Surveillance, laboratory testing, animal vaccination, and public health remain essential.
Rabies is a powerful reminder of why One Health matters—human, animal, laboratory, and environmental health are inseparable.
Awareness → Assessment → Action → Prevention.
Listen 🦻 to our and read along with the interview that our Program Director and Texas State University Professor, Rodney Rohde PhD conducted for 2026!
CC: TACLS (Texas Association for Clinical Laboratory Science) TXST College of Health Professions ASCP American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science ASCLS Region VII Austin Community College District Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) ASM
Following World Rabies Day and a CDC health advisory on a 17% rise in exposure-related calls, Rodney E. Rohde, PhD, explains what the increase means, what people should do when they have an animal bite or scratch, and how clinicians should assess risk and administer post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP).
