Bats are the main cause of rare rabies deaths in the U.S.
Overseas contact with rabid canines comes in second place
In the United States, the landscape of rabies transmission has shifted over the last 70 years.
Following a massive campaign to vaccinate dogs starting in 1947, rabies deaths linked to dog bites and scratches have dropped, and those from wild animals now carry a greater share of the blame. Since 1960, bats have caused 62, or roughly 70 percent, of the 89 deaths from rabies exposure that occurred in the United States, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says in a report released June 12. About two people die from rabies in the United States every year.