Where have animals tested positive for rabies in Kansas?

TOPEKA (KSNT) – Bats, skunks, horses and more animals have tested positive for rabies in Kansas so far this year.

Twenty positive cases of rabies have been recorded from the start of the year to Sept. 8, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. Infections include everything from wildlife to household pets.

The KDHE

regularly tests animals across the state for signs of rabies infection, often conducting hundreds of tests each year with most coming back negative. Human cases of rabies are exceedingly rare: KDHE spokeswoman Jill Bronaugh said the last one reported in Kansas was in 1968. Only a handful of human cases are reported nationwide each year.

Bats and skunks make up the majority of confirmed rabies infections in Kansas. However, rabies can potentially infect all mammals.

“The most cases testing positive for rabies have been identified in skunks, with 287 animals testing positive from 2014-2024,” Bronaugh said. “This is consistent with our terrestrial rabies reservoir species in Kansas, the skunk. Bats are also a rabies reservoir species in Kansas, and we have identified 78 positive bats from 2014-2024.”

27 News checked the latest rabies numbers reported by the KDHE for 2025. The list below shows where confirmed infections have been reported and in what species.

• Johnson County.
  • Two bats.
• Pottawatomie County.
  • One skunk.
  • One horse.
• Marshall County.
  • One cat.
• Riley County.
  • One bat.
• Washington County.
  • One bat.
• Saline County.
  • Three bats.
• Harvey County.
  • One cat.
  • One cow.
• Sedgwick County.
  • Three skunks.
• Kingman County.
  • One skunk.
• Comanche County.
  • One cow.
• Edwards County.
  • One skunk.
• Stevens County.
  • One cat.
• Osborne County.
  • One cat.

Rabies is a potentially deadly disease that is transmitted through the bite or scratch of an infected animal. Symptoms will appear flu-like initially which later shifts to confusion, hallucinations and anxiety. Two weeks after initial infection, the infected subject will show signs of excess saliva and aggressive behavior, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

People can get vaccinated for rabies or receive treatment shortly after the initial infection. The CDC reports that contact with infected bats is the leading cause of human rabies death in the nation.

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