What To Know About Rabies
Rabies is a viral disease of mammals that is usually transmitted from the bite of an infected animal. The vast majority of reported cases are in wild animals such as raccoons, bats, skunks, foxes and other mammals.
The rabies virus infects the brain and can be fatal just days after symptoms appear.
How Rabies Is Spread
All mammals are vulnerable to rabies, although only a few species are important as carriers of the disease. In the United States, specific strains of the rabies virus have been found raccoons, foxes, skunks, coyotes, and several species of bats.
Transmission of the rabies virus usually occurs when the saliva of a host is passed on to an uninfected animal, which usually occurs through a bite.
Other routes of transmission include contamination of the mucous membranes, aerosol transmission, and organ implants, although these are all very rare.
Symptoms
The initial symptoms of rabies are similar to the flu and may include general weakness and fatigue, fever, and a headache.
These symptoms can last for days, making the disease easily mistaken for a less-serious illness. There may also be an itching or prickling sensation at the site of the bite.
Symptoms typically do not occur directly after exposure to the virus; the average incubation period is 3-7 weeks, but could be as long as 7 years. These symptoms include anxiety, confusion and agitation, and aggression.
As the disease progresses patients may also experience delirium, insomnia, and abnormal behavior. Unfortunately, once a patient begins to show these symptoms, the disease is almost always fatal.
To date, there have only been very few documented cases in which humans survived after being diagnosed with clinical rabies.
Prevention and Treatment
Prevention and treatment of rabies usually involves a combination of the rabies vaccine and the human rabies immune globulin (HRIG) being administered as soon after suspected exposure as possible.
Because there is no test for rabies in humans before it reaches the clinical stage, treatment is given as post-exposure prophylaxis.
Both the vaccination and the HRIG are recommended for those who have been exposed to the virus and have not been vaccinated in the past. For those who have been vaccinated, the HRIG is usually all that is needed after exposure.
Adverse reactions to the vaccine or the HRIG are not common, although minor reactions such as pain, redness, itching, and swelling at the injection site have been known to occur.
Symptoms such as headache, muscle pain, nausea, and dizziness have also been reported, although these are rarer.
Wound care is also very important in the prevention of rabies. If you have been bitten by an animal that you suspect is rabid, cleanse the bite thoroughly with water or a providone-iodine solution diluted with water.
This can greatly reduce the chances of contracting rabies or other diseases that may be spread via an animal bite.
When To Seek Medical Attention
If you are bitten by an animal that you suspect may be rabid, seek medical attention as soon as possible, especially if the animal was wild. Wash any wounds immediately and speak to your doctor about treating the bite before considering the rabies vaccine or the HRIG.
Your doctor and your local health department will determine if you need to be treated for rabies based on the method of exposure and the animal that attacked you.
Post-exposure treatment of rabies in the United States generally consists of one dose of HRIG and four doses of the rabies vaccine over a 14-day period.
The first injections should be given as soon as possible after exposure and additional doses of the rabies vaccine should be given on the third, seventh and 14th days after exposure.
Modern rabies vaccine are given in the arm and are relatively painless, much like flu or tetanus vaccines.
