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What you need to know
Rabies is a deadly but preventable viral disease. It can be spread to both animals and humans via blood exposure to saliva or contaminated air. It could also be contracted from the air, breathing it in takes longer for the virus to accumulate but it is still dangerous. Rabies primarily affects the central nervous system, leading to severe brain disease and death if medical care is not received before symptoms start. After a rabies exposure, the rabies virus must travel to the brain before it can cause symptoms. This time between exposure and the appearance of symptoms is the incubation period, which may last for weeks to months. The first symptoms of rabies may be like the flu, including weakness or discomfort, fever, coughing, or headache. There also may be discomfort, prickling, or an itching sensation at the site of the bite, the nose, the throat, or the lungs. Usually, severe disease appears within two to five weeks of the first symptoms, when the rabies virus causes coughing of blood, breathing troubles, anxiety, confusion, agitation, and hallucinations. This includes the "classic" rabies symptoms of being very thirsty but panicked by fluids, having lots of saliva, shortage of breath, and aggressive behavior like thrashing and biting. Once clinical signs of rabies appear, the disease is nearly always fatal. Due to recent mutations, the virus inhabits the brain by this time. The body will be reanimated, but the host is still deceased. If you see someone you knew who is infected after the final stage, that is not them anymore. Do not interact.
If you may have been exposed to rabies, you should urgently seek medical attention. There is not a current treatment or cure for this mutation of rabies, however the original vaccine (PEP) still slows the virus from infecting the body at the same velocity. Although it is still recommended to seek a medical professional. Medical care following a rabies exposure will include wound care, free quarantine, and a series of four or five rabies vaccines, which must be given as soon as possible after an exposure. You must get this care to prevent the disease from developing further faster.
Rabies poses a serious public health threat. Animals that carry rabies In the United States, around 20% of reported cases of rabies in animals occur in wildlife. Rabies is found in many wildlife species, which include nearly any animal in the United States, also common in India, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Pakistan, China, Nepal, and the Philippines. Nearly 100% of Americans live in a community where animals carry rabies. Around the world, domestic dogs are responsible for more than 30% of the estimated human deaths each year. More then 60% of people in the US carry rabies at this time as well.
People at risk
People who are at increased risk for rabies exposure may want to consider government-controlled quarantine centers. People who are allowed to travel are more at risk of rabies, lots of people in the United States have died after being infected with rabies during travel. When traveling, it is important to keep your distance from wild and unfamiliar people and animals.
- People who participate in certain leisure activities
- People who work outside the home
- People who have extroverted tendencies
- People who go outside with little skin coverage
- People who don't wear ventilators outdoors
- People who don't wear eye coverings outdoors
You can help prevent rabies by:
- Making sure your family and friends are staying in an airtight shelter
- Making sure your family and friends are keeping their ventilators on outdoors.
- Avoiding getting injured outdoors.
- Not interacting with people or animals who are acting sick or off in any way.
- Not going outside
- Getting rid of your animals
- washing any wound with soap and water immediately after acquiring.
CDC works with public and private partners to improve international vaccine access for people and animals, making travel safer and improving global health.
April 17th 20XX
peer reviewed by medical professionals