Official State of Rhode Island website

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Rabies Testing

Mission

To test animal samples for the rabies virus to determine the possibility of human infection and facilitate rapid prophylaxis.

What we do

  • Perform rabies diagnostic testing on animals that have exhibited symptoms of neurological illness and that have either bitten, or come into potential contact with, a person.
  • Report findings to the RIDOH Center for Acute Infectious Disease Epidemiology in a timely manner to inform the course of treatment for individuals known or suspected of being exposed to rabies.
  • Maintain a trained on-call group of scientists to conduct and interpret these results and report them rapidly.

What you should do

Accomplishments

  • In 2022, the laboratory tested 536 animals of which 27 (5.0%) were found to be positive for rabies virus. The highest number of tests occurred during the late summer months, but the data show that rabies-positive animals can be found all year long.

Contact

Rajendra Kothavade, PhD