Dashboard

Animal Rabies Case
Laboratory-confirmed animal rabies is a reportable condition in Missouri. For purposes of this dashboard, a case of animal rabies is determined by laboratory confirmation of rabies virus being present in an animal specimen in accordance with the national Rabies, Animal 2023 Case Definition.  The MSPHL is the only laboratory authorized to test animal specimens for rabies in Missouri. The most common type of laboratory testing used for animal specimens is the direct fluorescent antibody (DFA) test. DFA testing is a “gold standard” diagnostic method for detecting rabies in animal specimens and is the current testing method utilized by the Missouri State Public Health Laboratory (MSPHL). Other acceptable diagnostic testing methods can include direct rapid immunohistochemical test (dRIT), immunohistochemistry (IHC) on formalin-fixed tissue, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), genomic sequencing, and isolation of rabies virus in cell culture.

CDC
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

DHSS
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services

MSPHL
The Missouri State Public Health Laboratory

OpenELIS
The centralized database used by the MSPHL to capture information related to specimens that are submitted for testing. For rabies specimens, this typically includes information from the MSPHL Rabies Test Request Form as well as the final laboratory testing results.

WebSurv
The Missouri Health Surveillance Information System, a centralized and integrated database that allows the DHSS and local public health agency staff the ability to capture information such as known or potential animal and human contacts related to laboratory-confirmed animal rabies cases.

Data Management
Rabies data presented in this dashboard include only positive and negative animal cases. All animal specimens that are received at MSPHL but determined to be unsatisfactory for rabies testing have been excluded. For details about the animal rabies case definitions, please refer to Rabies, Animal 2023 Case Definition from the CDC. The Missouri Weekly Animal Rabies Dashboard will be updated each Monday.

Data Source
The source of the animal rabies data displayed in this dashboard is predominately from the OpenELIS database utilized by MSPHL. The dashboard displays OpenELIS data for years 2012 to present. A small number of positive rabies reports each year may be reported from other state agency partners such as the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC). Any positive rabies reports received by DHSS from other agency partners meeting the national case definition will be included in the statewide positive case count and the corresponding county of origin map. All current year data are provisional and subject to change as additional reports are received and investigations completed.

Data Interpretation
Rabies data reported by DHSS may not reflect the true incidence or distribution of the rabies virus in animals in Missouri.  The testing of animals for rabies in Missouri is generally only conducted in situations where there is significant public health risk due to exposure of humans or domestic animals to animals that are suspected to have rabies. The rabies data presented on this dashboard may not be representative of all animals infected with rabies in Missouri and therefore, should be interpreted with caution.  More information about animal rabies testing and the rabies testing policy can be found on the MSPHL Rabies webpage. All questions about rabies data or interpretation can be directed to the DHSS Zoonotic Disease Program.  Program contact information can be found below.

Rabies Cases by Jurisdiction Map
The Rabies Cases by Jurisdiction map illustrates total rabies case counts by animal species in each county. Hovering over the colored circle in a county will display the year of report, county name, the animal species that tested positive, and number of positive cases. If more than one animal species tests positive in the same county in the same year, the circle will be split into different colored sections for each species. Hover over each colored section to see the number of positive tests for each species.

Animal Cumulative Tests & Positives Chart
The Animal Cumulative Tests & Positives chart shows total tests and positive tests by animal. Both the Rabies Cases by Jurisdiction map and Animal Cumulative Tests & Positives chart can be filtered by the year and county sliders on the left-hand side of the dashboard.

Statewide Animal Positives by CDC Report Year/CDC Report Week
The longitudinal bar graph at the bottom of the report shows positive animal rabies tests by CDC report year and week. The year slider above the graph can be used to change the years shown in the bar graph.

County Assignment for Animals That Test Negative for Rabies
Animals that test negative for rabies virus do not require a public health investigation.  County assignments for these animals will be made based on the count of rabies exposure information provided to MSPHL on the Rabies Test Request Form.  If the county of rabies exposure field is not completed, the negative animal will be assigned to the county where the exposed person resides.  If the exposed person’s county of residence is not reported, then the negative animal will be assigned to the county where the submitter is located. 

County Assignment for Animals That Test Positive for Rabies
Animals that test positive for rabies virus do require a public health investigation. This includes contacting the submitter and/or exposed person listed on the Rabies Test Request Form to obtain details about the positive animal including information related to where that animal resided or originated from prior to being tested for rabies. The county assignment for each rabies positive animal will be made based on the information obtained by the local health department during the public health investigation.

Contact Us!
Bureau of Communicable Disease Control and Prevention
Zoonotic Disease Program
Phone: 573-751-6113 (bureau mainline)
Email: DHSS.OVPH@health.mo.gov