Minnesota shows ‘significant increase’ in rabies cases, driven by rabid skunks

A pregnant cow in Rock County, paralyzed and unable to stand before dying. A calf in Pipestone County, acting strangely before it was found dead. Three doomed steers in a Stearns County outbreak that drooled, bellowed and paced along the fence line.

These cattle are part of what state health officials call a “concerning” rise in rabies cases in southwest and central Minnesota this year, driven by an unusually high number of rabid skunks.

So far this year there have been 32 reported cases of rabies across the state, according to data provided by the Minnesota Board of Animal Health. This is a jump compared to last year, which had 20 cases over the same period. And previous years had even fewer cases by August.

“This is a significant increase compared to other years,” said Carrie Klumb, epidemiologist for the Minnesota Department of Health. “This is not a normal year.”

Health officials began noticing a higher-than-normal number of rabid skunks and cattle this spring. A typical year will have three to five sick skunks, Klumb said, but as of August there have already been 12 infections. On average there’s about one case a year of rabid cattle over the last decade, but so far in 2024 there’s been six.

“We want to give people a heads up,” Klumb said. “If you’ve been putting off vaccinating your pets, this might be a good year to do it.”

Rabies is fatal if untreated and is a disease that attacks the nervous system of mammals. The virus spreads through the saliva of an infected animal, most often as it bites others.

This year, 24 people exposed to infected animals have been recommended to get rabies shots, Klumb said.

The disease is most often spread by bats. In Minnesota, skunks also spread rabies, with the odorous critters often drawn toward homes and farms that leave food for cats and other pets out in the open.

In their infected state, skunks become fearless and aggressive, approaching and biting much larger animals such as livestock, a report by the Minnesota Board of Animal Health said.

Cows, for their part, are curious creatures and often stick their noses in where they don’t belong, leading to bites, said Erin deKoning, a veterinarian at the Rock Veterinary Clinic in Luverne. She said she knew both of the families in Rock County that had infected cattle this year.

The area is not known for outbreaks. “I’ve never seen as many rabid animals as we’ve had this year,” said deKoning, who has worked in the region for 15 years.

Rabid skunks are likely to blame for the cases of infected cattle this year, incident reports by the animal health board said. The cattle infections in Rock County in March and April, Pipestone County in April, and Stearns County in May took place where skunks were seen or are known to frequent, the reports said.

The six infected cattle are dead, and unvaccinated cats that had contact with the livestock had to be euthanized, the reports said.

The mildness of last winter may be what’s behind the increase in rabid skunks, said Erik Jopp, assistant director of the Minnesota Board of Animal Health. A warmer winter means the critters remain active, mingling among each other instead of hunkering down.

Jopp recommends people avoid skunks this summer, especially if the normally nocturnal animal is found wandering around in the sun. “If a skunk is out in the day, it’s a higher likelihood of it having rabies,” he said. He noted that the rate of rabies infections has slowed in recent weeks.

While cattle are usually not vaccinated, this year may be a special case, Jopp said. “If the skunk population is high in your area, I would encourage looking at vaccinating,” he said.

Minnesotans are encouraged to call helplines at 651-201-5414 if they’re concerned they’ve been bitten, and 651-201-6808 if they’re worried their pets or livestock have been infected.