[tzs]

It's kind of odd.

People will get all upset over a report of a squirrel with bubonic plague, even though they never come anywhere near squirrels. Or they will hide because a raccoon walks through their yard in the daytime and they are afraid of rabies (even if they live in western Washington, where there has never been a known case of rabies in raccoons...). (The reason the raccoon is out in daytime is most likely that she has babies at home and needs to gather more food than she can with just her usual nocturnal foraging).

But children...which we actually allow to get close to us, even going so far as letting them into our buildings and vehicles? Meh.

[SpicyLemonZest]

Plague and rabies are much more deadly diseases. Plague kills about 10% of victims with the best treatment, and rabies can be vaccinated against post-infection but is basically unsurvivable once symptoms start.