🐶🦇 Rabies – Overview
Rabies is a viral disease that affects the central nervous system (CNS) — the brain and spinal cord. It is almost always fatal once symptoms appear, but it is 100% preventable with prompt medical care after exposure.
🧬 Cause
- Caused by the rabies virus, a member of the Lyssavirus genus
- Infects mammals, including humans
- Virus is transmitted via saliva from the bite or scratch of an infected animal
🐾 Common Animal Reservoirs
- Dogs (most human deaths, especially in Asia and Africa)
- Bats (common in the Americas)
- Also: foxes, raccoons, skunks, jackals, mongooses
⚠️ Transmission
- Animal bite (most common)
- Saliva contact with broken skin or mucous membranes
- Rare: organ transplants, laboratory exposure
Rabies is NOT spread through intact skin, blood, urine, or feces.
🕐 Incubation Period
- Usually 1–3 months, but can range from a few days to a year
- Depends on:
- Location of the bite (closer to brain = faster)
- Amount of virus introduced
⚠️ Symptoms
1️⃣ Prodromal Stage (Early Symptoms)
- Fever, headache
- Malaise, fatigue
- Pain or tingling at the bite site (important early clue)
2️⃣ Neurological Stage
- Encephalitic (“furious”) rabies – most common:
- Anxiety, confusion, agitation
- Hydrophobia (fear of water)
- Aerophobia (fear of air drafts)
- Hallucinations, seizures, excessive salivation
- Coma → death
- Paralytic (“dumb”) rabies – less common:
- Muscle weakness, paralysis
- Slower progression but still fatal
🧪 Diagnosis
- No test can confirm rabies before symptoms appear
- Once symptoms develop, diagnosis includes:
- Saliva testing (PCR for virus)
- Skin biopsy
- CSF analysis
- Postmortem brain tissue (definitive)
💉 Treatment
- No effective treatment once symptoms appear
- Rabies is nearly always fatal at that stage
🛡️ Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) – LIFE-SAVING!
If exposed:
- Immediately wash wound with soap and water for at least 15 minutes
- Seek medical care
- PEP schedule:
- Rabies vaccine: 4 doses (Days 0, 3, 7, 14)
- Rabies immune globulin (RIG): On Day 0, injected into and around the wound (only for people not previously vaccinated)
💉 Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP)
Recommended for:
- Veterinarians
- Animal handlers
- Travelers to high-risk areas
- People working with bats or in rabies labs
Schedule: 2 or 3 doses depending on guidelines
🌍 Global Burden
- ~59,000 deaths/year, mostly in Asia and Africa
- Children under 15 are frequently affected
- >99% of human rabies deaths are dog-related
✅ Key Facts
- Rabies is 100% preventable if treated before symptoms
- Never wait for symptoms to appear — start PEP immediately after exposure
- Control rabies through dog vaccination, education, and access to PEP