How can people get rabies?

From infected saliva: In the U.S., people can catch rabies from the bites of infected animals. The virus is in the saliva of the rabid animals. In the U.S., the animals that carry rabies are raccoons, skunks, foxes, coyotes, and bats. However, any mammal can become infected and transmit it to other mammals.

From an animal bite: Rabies is caused by a virus that infects animals such as dogs and bats. If the rabid animal bites a human they can get Rabies. It can be prevented by being immunized against it. people traveling to tropical countries or places where this may occur are advised to get immunized

Rabies: Rabies is a preventable viral disease of mammals most often transmitted through the bite of a rabid animal. The vast majority of rabies cases reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) each year occur in wild animals like raccoons, skunks, bats, and foxes. http://www.cdc.gov/rabies/index.html