In the United States, rabies can seem like a disease of the past, a remote risk caused by a mostly vanquished virus. But in recent months, this ancient foe has returned to the spotlight.

A handful of unusual outbreaks have made headlines: rabid beavers at a Maryland state park, a cluster of goat cases at a North Carolina petting zoo. Officials in several states, including Idaho and Alabama, flagged surges in animal cases; California set an annual record for rabid bats.

And last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a national health advisory, citing reports of “local increases in human rabies exposures.” The agency reported an uptick in the use of medical interventions — antibody treatments and vaccines — designed to protect people exposed to potentially rabid animals.

So far, no human rabies cases have been reported in 2026. And it’s unclear whether the reported surges reflect a real increase in rabies risk.…