U.S. had 5 rabies deaths last year, highest in decade

This electron microscope image made available by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows rabies virions, dark and bullet-shaped, within an infected tissue sample. Five Americans died of rabies in 2021 — the largest number in a decade — and health officials say some occurred because people didn’t realize they’d been infected or refused life-saving shots. (F. A. Murphy/CDC via AP)