Side Effects of Rabies

Rabies is a virus spread among mammals through the saliva of an infected animal. Without immediate medical attention, a human with rabies is very likely to die, as specific symptoms of rabies do not occur until the infected is near death.

Background

• Rabies can come from a variety of mammals such as bats, beavers cats, cows, coyotes, dogs, foxes, goats, horses, monkeys, rabbits, raccoons, skunks and woodchucks. The disease transfers to humans via the animal's saliva, which can occur by bite, contact with an unrelated wound or by contact with the eyes and mouth.

Symptoms and Side Effects

• Rabies symptoms may first appear as fever and headache, common symptoms of the flu. As the disease progresses, the infected may display strange behavior such as anxiety, confusion, agitation, increased salivation, insomnia, hallucinations and paralysis, progressing to likely death.

Prevention/Solution

• Avoid contact with a suspected animal. Immediately seek medical attention if a bite or transmission of saliva occurs. If you think you've been infected by a rabid animal, seek medical attention immediately.

Treatment

• While there is only supportive treatment for rabies once infection occurs, the victim can receive six arm injections of a rabies vaccine over a 28-day period to prevent the virus from working. This vaccination must occur immediately to effectively fight the virus.

Testing

• If a potentially rabid animal is a pet or farm animal, you can quarantine and observe it to see if it displays any rabies symptoms. If it is a wild animal, it can be killed and its brain tested for the presence of the virus. Human testing occurs only when a patient begins displaying symptoms that appear to be related to rabies.