ST. LOUIS (AP) - Missouri officials report a recent increase in the number of rabid skunks found in the state.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports (http://bit.ly/13JVzwj ) that the number of skunks testing positive for rabies in the Show-Me state has reached a 15-year high. New state data shows, however, that the risk to humans is still quite low.
State health authorities report finding rabies in 16 of 27 skunks tested in the first six months of this year. That compares to eight out of 27 skunks that positive during the first half of 2012.
The rabid skunk cases account for two-thirds of all rabies cases this year and appear to be concentrated in southeast Missouri.
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Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, http://www.stltoday.com