How long does the rabies virus live in the air?

The rabies virus is not airborne, according to the Humane Society. Rabies is spread through contact with the saliva of a dying animal infected with the virus, usually by way of a bite.

Rabies is an infectious disease found only in warm-blooded mammals. The disease attacks the central nervous system, resulting in odd and aggressive behaviors in the infected animal. The most common carriers of the rabies virus are raccoons, coyotes, skunks, foxes and bats, states the Humane Society. Rabies only lives in the saliva of an infected animal; it cannot survive in the open air. Rabies is extremely rare in humans; fewer than three people die from rabies in the United States every year.