Rabies Activity in the Upper Midwest

Recent detections of the North Central skunk variant of the rabies virus in cattle from Iowa, Minnesota, and South Dakota, have prompted this notification.

Rabies cases in livestock are relatively infrequent. However, they serve as indicators of active rabies virus transmission between skunk reservoirs and livestock within agricultural communities. This indicates ongoing circulation of the North Central skunk variant across the Upper Midwest.

While rabid cattle have been detected in these states historically, there have been notable rabid skunk detections since 2024 in Iowa, Minnesota, and South Dakota, and investigations link the recent cattle infections to exposures from rabid skunks.

The North Central skunk variant, the primary terrestrial rabies strain in the upper Great Plains, circulates widely in these states.

Since 2024, 10 cattle tested positive for rabies across Iowa, Minnesota, and South Dakota, affecting dairy (7), beef (2), and show cattle (1).

Across the four-state region (which includes Nebraska), 25 skunks tested positive for rabies during the same timeframe...

Subscribe to get the rest of the story...