Why Rabies is Considered One of the Most Dangerous Viruses and How It’s Combated

Rabies is a zoonotic and viral disease that causes acute encephalitis in warm-blooded animals and is transferable between species, such as dogs and humans, commonly through bites from the infected.  Once contracted with rabies, the virus infects the central nervous system, which inevitably causes disease in the brain and can induce death.  Rabies is particularly fatal in humans if post-exposure prophylaxis it not administered before some of the more severe symptoms begin to occur. 

The Rabies virus travels to the brain by following the peripheral nerves and once infected, one enters an incubation period, which is common amongst viral diseases.  The incubation period usually lasts a few months for humans, and it depends on the distance the virus must travel to ultimately reach the central nervous system.  Unfortunately, after the virus reaches the central nervous and symptoms become prevalent, the infection becomes essentially untreatable and usually kills within days. Rabies annually causes 55,000 deaths worldwide with close to around 95% of these deaths occurring in Africa and Asia.  Another astonishing fact surrounding the rabies infection is that 97% of those who become infected were bitten and contaminated by dogs.  Rabid Dogs (dogs infected with the rabies virus) are very dangerous and aggressive, which leads to attacks.  Dogs that are infected usually appear with black swollen eyes, and they sometimes secrete a white, bubbly liquid from their mouths.  Because of control and vaccination programs in the United States, rabid dog attacks are nowhere near as high as they are in developing countries that lack proper care. However, it is very important to have your dog checked if it seems to behave more bizarrely than usual and is starting to produce any rabies related symptoms.  

  

After the incubation period, which has been documented to last as low as four days to as long as six years, all depending upon the distance of the bite from the central nervous system and the amount of the virus that enters the body.  Those who become contaminated initially begin to show minor symptoms such as headache, fever, or malaise.  Soon, more symptoms begin to arise such as paralysis, anxiety, insomnia, paranoia, and agitation, which then leads in to more severe symptoms: mania, lethargy, uncontrolled emotions, hallucinations, and delirium.   After these unfortunate symptoms occur, the infected patient will eventually slip into a coma where he or she will more than likely die from respiratory insufficiency.  Although survival after the incubation period is rare, there are forms of prevention and treatments for those still in the incubation period.  

In terms of prevention, two French scientists, Louis Pasteur and Emile Roux, created the rabies vaccination in 1885.  Consisting of a sample of the virus that was harvested from rabbit, the vaccination actually weakened the virus even after one had become infected.  Recently, other form of the vaccine such as V-RG (recombinant rabies vaccine), which can be taken orally, have been created and administered throughout the world, greatly preventing the spread of the infection.  If one has already been exposed to the virus, he or she is given post-exposure prophylaxis, which is very effective in combating and preventing rabies after a rabid animal has bitten the patient.  This PEP is made from rabies vaccine and immunoglobulin and is administered several times after infection. Contact your local vaccination clinic today to make an appointment to vaccinate yourself against rabies!