Rabies Alerts Spark Concern After Cat Attacks and Rare Transplant Case
So, there’s been a lot of talk about rabies lately, and for good reason. Two very different but equally alarming incidents have put the disease back in the spotlight — one involving a rabid cat in Fairfax County, and another tied to an extremely rare organ-transplant transmission in the U.S. Both stories are unsettling, but they also highlight why awareness and quick action are so important.
In Fairfax County’s Belle Haven neighborhood, a male domestic shorthair cat with orange and white coloring was captured after it reportedly attacked several people and pets on the evening of November 28 near the intersection of 13th Street and H Street. When the animal was tested, it was confirmed to be infected with rabies. What’s worrying is that the cat may have had additional contacts before it was caught, potentially between November 20 and 28. Because of this, the county’s health department is urging anyone who touched, was bitten by, or was scratched by the cat during that timeframe to reach out to their Rabies Program.
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Rabies can be incredibly deceptive in its early stages. Infected animals may seem calm or completely normal at first, which makes it difficult to recognize the danger. As the disease progresses, though, behavior can change dramatically. Wild animals might suddenly appear unusually friendly or docile, while domestic pets that are normally gentle can become aggressive. Staggering, drooling, or even paralysis may also appear. Fairfax County typically sees 40 to 60 rabies cases a year, mostly in wildlife like skunks and raccoons, but domestic animals can be affected too. Nearby Alexandria even reported a rabid fox last month, showing how common encounters with rabid animals can be.
Meanwhile, a completely separate incident in the U.S. made national headlines after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that a man had died from rabies transmitted through a kidney transplant. This is extremely rare — only the tenth known case since 1978 — but it shows how unpredictable rabies can be when it goes undetected. The donor, who had been scratched by a skunk weeks before his death, had unknowingly been infected. The transplant recipient began showing symptoms five weeks after surgery, including fever, confusion, difficulty swallowing, and even hydrophobia, which is a classic late-stage rabies sign. Despite hospitalization, he died 51 days after the transplant. Dozens of medical workers and community contacts were later evaluated for potential exposure as a precaution.
Both situations underline the same message: rabies is 100% preventable with timely treatment — and 100% fatal if ignored. Staying away from wild or stray animals, keeping pets vaccinated, and reporting any animal bites or strange behavior are some of the simplest ways to stay safe. And if an exposure ever happens, washing the wound immediately and seeking medical care right away can make all the difference.
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