West Virginia Division of Natural Resources denies claims of uptick in rabies cases
By Alex Wilson
Published on March 16, 2026.
The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (DNR) has refuted social media reports of an increase in rabies cases in Elkins. Ethan Barton, a Wildlife Disease Specialist with the DNR, stated that there has been no increase in reported cases in the area and that with the warm weather and skunk breeding season at its peak, there could be more animals out there. The city is located east of the rabies control corridor of the US Department of Agriculture, which regularly drops rabies vaccines in the wild to prevent the spread of the disease.
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