rabies

Rabies is an almost uniformly fatal nervous system infection that is caused by the rabies virus.

 

The rabies virus is present worldwide. It can be spread to humans by many different animals.

 

In the US, animal bites from wild animals, such as foxes, raccoons, skunks and bats, usually pass the virus on to people. In less developed countries where cats and dogs are not vaccinated against rabies, dog bites are the most common source of rabies.

 

The rabies virus lives in the saliva of infected animals. It is spread to another animal or a person through a bite or through licking an open wound. In rare cases, people may have breathed in the virus while visiting a heavily infected area, such as a bat cave.

 

In some recent cases of human rabies, there has been no known contact with a bat or other potentially infected animal. This suggests that very little physical contact with an infected animal may be needed to catch the virus in rare cases.

 

Symptoms usually develop within weeks of acquiring the virus. However, symptoms may occur days or even years after the exposure.

 

The symptoms of rabies mainly affect the nervous system and include:

 

The rabies virus causes the infection. Unless people exposed to the virus are treated promptly, death is almost certain. Treatment rarely helps after symptoms develop.

People should receive treatment to prevent rabies if: they have been bitten by a rabid or suspected rabid animalthey have had close contact with the saliva of a rabid or suspected rabid animalthey have been bitten by certain wild animalsthey have a mucous membrane or wound that has come in contact with certain wild animals

In order to know if a suspected animal has the virus, the animal is captured, if possible and euthanized. Doctors can then examine brain tissue from the animal. To diagnose rabies in a person, a series of special tests are done. These may include tests of the skin, saliva, blood, or spinal fluid.