Some of the first questions that emerge when a new wildlife disease is documented surround where the disease originated and how long has it been impacting wildlife populations. Is the disease emerging or has it been around for decades? Perhaps something else in the environment is just now making the disease bad enough that it is noticeable to biologists.
While it is true they are venomous and that a bite from a rattlesnake is potentially life threatening, they aren’t out there looking for people to chase and are actually fairly docile animals.