Rabies Exposures Spike in B.C., But Disease Cases Remain Stable

British Columbia recorded 1,598 potential human rabies exposures in 2026, nearly double the 931 cases reported the year before. Yet the BC Centre for Disease Control found no corresponding surge in actual rabies infections among wild animals. The gap between these two numbers tells a story not about a spreading disease, but about how fear, awareness, and a single tragic case can reshape public behavior.

A potential exposure means someone has had contact with an animal that could carry rabies, prompting preventive treatment. The definition casts a wide net—it includes people exposed to animals that never carried the disease at all, treated as a precaution. Once rabies symptoms appear in a human, there is no cure. The disease is nearly always fatal. Over the past 104 years, Canada has recorded only 28 human rabies cases; two occurred in British Columbia. The United States is also reporting higher exposure numbers this year without a corresponding rise in actual cases, suggesting a pattern of heightened caution rather than escalating infection.

Bats are the only wild animal in British Columbia that carries rabies without being killed by it. One in every 200 bats harbors the virus. When someone has direct physical contact with a bat, it counts as an exposure. If the bat is captured and tested negative, the exposure designation is lifted. In other parts of Canada, skunks in the Prairies and raccoons and foxes in the East carry the disease. The incubation period stretches three to eight weeks; by the time symptoms emerge, intervention is too late.

Heather James, a small-animal veterinarian in Prince George and board member of the Society of BC Veterinarians, explained that immediate action after potential exposure can prevent infection almost entirely. The first step is simple: wash the wound or contact area with soap and water for at least 15 minutes. Then seek medical care. A healthcare provider will assess whether rabies immune globulin and the rabies vaccine are needed. Administered early, these measures work nearly 100 percent of the time. The BCCDC recommends pre-exposure vaccination for bat researchers, veterinarians, and others who may encounter the virus, though British Columbia has no provincial vaccine mandates for the general public.

The spike in awareness traces partly to a CBC article published over the summer about an 11-year-old boy in Ontario who died from rabies in 2024. That story, combined with two confirmed cases of rabies-positive bats brought home by cats in Courtenay and Campbell River over the summer, shifted how pet owners think about the disease. Leanne Kelly, a registered veterinary technologist at Van Isle Veterinary Hospital, saw her clinic field a 20 percent increase in calls asking about pet rabies vaccination and a 20 percent increase in owners requesting the vaccine. The two cats that brought home infected bats received post-exposure treatment and did not develop rabies, but the incidents sparked genuine concern.

Veterinarians across British Columbia report that most pet owners are not hostile to vaccines but rather conflicted and overwhelmed by competing information online. James noted that some worry the antigen in a rabies vaccine could trigger an allergic reaction in their pet—a misunderstanding of how antigens work. An antigen is any substance the immune system recognizes. Antigens exist in cheeseburgers, toothpaste, and countless everyday exposures. A rabies vaccine contains only one antigen for the body to potentially react to, far fewer than a single meal. Pet breeders, James and Kelly observed, are often a source of vaccine misinformation, advising new owners which shots to give and which to skip.

Marco Veenis, a veterinarian at Okanagan Veterinary Hospital practicing since 1988, has watched vaccine hesitancy grow over the past decade, likely driven by social media and online misinformation. Patients tell him they don't believe in vaccines but cannot articulate why. Veenis tailors recommendations to each pet's lifestyle—whether they visit dog parks or travel internationally—but ultimately leaves the decision to owners. "It's not my job to tell them what to do," he said. "It's my job to make sure they can make a properly informed decision." The rabies vaccine costs about $30, though a full veterinary visit with other vaccines and fees typically runs $125 to $200. James recommends vaccination starting at three months of age, again at one year, then every three years.

James has witnessed rabies in cats, dogs, horses, and cattle during her career. "Sometimes they can't swallow or walk," she said. "It's just really scary." If an unvaccinated pet is potentially exposed, veterinarians follow BCCDC guidelines to determine whether post-exposure vaccination, quarantine, or euthanasia is necessary. Pet owners and anyone who contacted the animal must also be assessed by healthcare providers. The protocols exist to protect humans first. "We don't want to lose our cats or dogs," James said, "but at the end of the day it's a different kind of tragic when a human dies of rabies." As public awareness grows and vaccination rates climb, the province's actual rabies risk remains stable—but the conversation around prevention has fundamentally shifted.