Signs of Rabies in Humans

Rabies in humans is preventable if the victim gets medical treatment right away. Rabies is a painful disease, nearly always fatal if not treated. Medical personnel are trained to treat the victim, even if it's unknown if the animal that bit him has rabies, so he doesn't develop rabies. If you are bitten by an animal, notify animal control immediately, so the animal that bit you can be removed from contact with other humans.

Definition

• Rabies is a virus that affects the central nervous system of those who have been infected. This virus affects warm-blooded mammals, including humans. It is transmitted in the saliva of infected animals, although some have been infected via non-bite exposure. If an animal bite is not treated immediately and the bite victim develops symptoms of rabies, it is nearly always fatal. Anyone who has been bitten must seek immediate medical attention and treatment to avoid developing rabies.

Early Symptoms

• Early rabies symptoms in a person include a sore throat, fever, headache, loss of appetite, nausea, achy muscles and an overall tired feeling. When the virus migrates to the brain, she may become upset, confused and nervous. If she knows she was bitten by a potentially rabid animal, she should immediately wash the bite wound with warm water and soap and go to the hospital, where medical staff will thoroughly clean the wound with a virucidal agent such as providone-iodine. This will significantly reduce the potential to get rabies. She should also receive a dose of rabies immune globulin, then the rabies vaccine, as indicated by health authorities.

Intermediate Symptoms

• In the middle stage of rabies, the victim begins to exhibit hallucinations, hydrophobia (fear of water resulting from violent throat spasms), difficulty speaking, and tingling or pain at the site of the bite. He may become excessively agitated, with hyperactive movements, aggressiveness, abnormal thoughts, postures, seizures and a high level of sensitivity to touch, light and sound. There may be increased tearing and salivation, as well as paralysis. Treatment at this point will not help him; it will not be effective.

Advanced Symptoms

• In the end stage of rabies, the victim develops abnormal diaphragm movements and movements of her breathing muscles. She also develops double vision, goes into a coma and possibly respiratory arrest. Again, treatment at this late stage of rabies will be useless, once the virus has entered her brain and nervous system.

Prevention & Types

• It is important to be able to recognize the signs of rabies in animals, as well as the two types of rabies, to avoid rabid animals. Animals with rabies will change their behavior. The rabid animal appears sick, has difficulty moving or is paralyzed, has problems swallowing, is drooling and may bite at everything around him. One type of rabies is "furious" rabies; the animal bites at everything, is hostile and has an increase in saliva. The second type is "dumb" rabies, in which the animal's behavior is timid, he rejects his food and suffers paralysis of his lower jaw and muscles. If humans see these behaviors in animals living with or near them, they should exercise caution and stay away from them. Call the local health department and animal control authorities immediately.