These SC counties reported the most cases of rabies over the last five years
The number of known animals with rabies has increased in each of the last four years in South Carolina.
From 2016-2020, the Department of Health and Environmental Control has reported 572 rabies cases throughout the state.
Last year alone, the state reached an all-time high of 168 known cases, which is more than 2.5 times higher than the case count in 2017.
The deadly disease is found in the saliva of wild or rabid mammals and often spreads through bites. Raccoons, bats, foxes, skunks and cats had the most cases, according to DHEC data. Fortunately, it’s rare for a human to die from rabies, as just one person in the state has died from from it in the last 50 years.
Here are the counties with the highest number of recorded cases over the last five calendar years:
Charleston County
- 71 cases of rabies
- 59 raccoons, 4 bats, 4 foxes, 4 cats
- Highest case count came in 2020 with 45
- Leads state with most rabies cases (7) so far in 2021.
Lexington County
- 46 cases of rabies
- 23 raccoons, 8 foxes, 7 bats, 4 skunks, 2 cats, 2 other
- Highest case count came in 2019 with 17
Beaufort County
- 40 cases of rabies
- 34 raccoons, 4 foxes, 1 bat, 1 cat
- Highest number of cases came in 2016 with 14
Newberry County
- 31 cases of rabies
- 17 skunks, 5 raccoons, 3 cats, 1 bat, 1 domestic livestock
- Highest case count came in 2020 with 13
Oconee County
- 29 cases of rabies
- 14 skunks, 6 raccoons, 5 cats, 2 domestic livestock, 1 fox, 1 other
- Highest number of cases came in 2019 with 10
The rest of each county’s rabies cases, from highest to lowest:
- Anderson - 25
- Aiken - 24
- Greenwood - 24
- Richland - 23
- York - 23
- Kershaw - 20
- Greenville - 17
- Saluda - 17
- Spartanburg - 17
- Pickens - 15
- Horry - 14
- Lancaster - 12
- Laurens - 12
- Florence - 10
- Abbeville - 8
- Edgefield - 8
- Union - 7
- Berkeley - 6
- Cherokee - 6
- Dorchester - 6
- Chester - 5
- Chesterfield - 5
- Colleton - 5
- Fairfield - 5
- Sumter - 5
- Clarenton - 4
- Dillon - 4
- Georgetown - 4
- Jasper - 4
- Bamberg - 3
- Barnwell - 3
- Darlington - 2
- Lee - 2
- Marion - 2
- Marlboro - 2
- McCormick - 2
- Williamsburg - 2
- Hampton - 1
- Orangeburg - 1
- Allendale - 0
- Calhoun - 0
This story was originally published August 6, 2021 at 10:16 AM.