US Had 5 Rabies Deaths Last Year, Highest Total in a Decade

This undated electron microscope image made available by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows rabies virions, dark and bullet-shaped, within an infected tissue sample. F. A. Murphy/CDC via AP

NEW YORK—Five Americans died of rabies last year—the largest number in a decade—and health officials said Thursday that some of the people didn’t realize they had been infected or refused life-saving shots.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report on three of the deaths, all stemming from contact with bats. CDC officials said the deaths were tragic and could have been prevented.