Rabies facts: B.C. and Quebec report activity in wildlife, while human cases remain extremely rare

The Story

Public health officials are dealing with rabies cases in wild animals that have had contact with people or pets, with Vancouver Coastal Health reporting on a rabid skunk and Quebec reporting rabies activity in raccoons.

In B.C., Vancouver Coastal Health issued a news bulletin about a skunk with rabies that had bitten a “small” number of people in Vancouver; those people were treated, and the health authority urged anyone who may have been bitten or scratched by a skunk in the city’s West End neighbourhood between Sept. 22 and Oct. 17 to contact them.

At the national level, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) said the number of animal rabies cases fluctuates from year to year and that preliminary data indicates increased rabies activity in raccoons, particularly in Quebec, is a major factor contributing to a higher number of confirmed animal rabies cases reported this year; between January and September, 397 laboratory-confirmed rabies cases in animals were reported to the CFIA, compared with 281 cases reported in 2025 for the entire year.

Rabies is a viral infection that affects the nervous system, including the brain, and it infects nerves around where the virus entered the body before moving to the spinal cord and brain; in Canada, infections in humans are rare, but they are almost always fatal if not treated before symptoms develop.

Rabies is transmitted to people when they are bitten or scratched by an infected animal, with saliva identified as the most common source of transmission; in Canada, wild animals such as bats, skunks, raccoons and foxes are main carriers, and bats are described as the primary carriers, while they can also transmit the virus to pets such as cats or dogs and to farm animals.

Humans must receive treatment before symptoms appear, which usually occurs about three to eight weeks after exposure, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada; treatment involves a series of rabies vaccines given immediately and on days three, seven and 14, along with an immunoglobulin injection, described as ready-made antibodies that act right away.

There is no treatment for animals with rabies, and the infection can only be confirmed after death by examining the brain; side effects of the human vaccine are usually mild and temporary and can include fever, chills, sweats and feeling unwell.

For prevention, the Wildlife Rescue Association of B.C. said people should avoid direct physical contact with wildlife, particularly animals that appear sick, injured, unusually aggressive, lethargic or disoriented, and also urged that pets be kept up to date on rabies vaccinations and be kept leashed and supervised outdoors to help prevent contact with wildlife.