What Are the Chances of Dying From Rabies?

Humans that contract the rabies virus and do not seek treatment for the disease will die in nearly every instance. By the time a human being begins to show any sign of the disease, it is typically too late to help the individual.

Considerations

• The majority of cases of rabies in humans in the United States are the result of a person bitten by an infected animal. Bats are the main source of such a bite, with animals such as raccoons and skunks also common carriers of rabies.

Prevention/Solution

• Once a person suspects he or she has had exposure to the virus it is imperative that the individual seeks medical attention. A series of shots that help the person's immune system recognize and then battle the virus, with six shots over a span of four weeks, is the common course of treatment.

Identification

• It is impossible to identify quickly if a person has rabies after an encounter with an animal suspected to be rabid. For this reason, a doctor will highly recommend that treatments commence as soon as possible.

Prevalence

• In the early 1900s, there were about 100 deaths each year in the U.S. attributed to rabies, according to the Center for Disease Control website. This number has fallen to one or two annually.

History

• A 15-year-old girl named Jeanna Giese is the only person documented to have survived rabies without having had the rabies vaccinations. Doctors saved her with, among other treatments, a drug-induced week-long coma