Want more iVillage? Sign up for our
Newsletters
Rabies - Topic Overview
SYMPTOMS & TREATMENTS
What is rabies?
Rabies is an infection caused by a virus. It affects the brain and spinal cord (central nervous system) of any kind of mammal, including humans. It is nearly always deadly if not treated before symptoms begin.
Animals that are infected with rabies—rabid animals—can spread the disease through their saliva or brain tissue. People usually get rabies when a rabid animal bites them. It is rare for people in the United States to get rabies. It is more common in developing nations.
How do you get rabies?
Rabies is caused by a virus that usually is spread through an infected animal's saliva. Bats, raccoons, skunks, foxes, and coyotes are the animals most likely to have rabies in the U.S. Small mammals such as mice and squirrels almost never have rabies.
People in the U.S. and Canada are most likely to get rabies from bats.4 People in many other countries are most likely to get rabies from dog bites.1, 2
Report all animal bites to your local health department. Experts there can help you decide whether you need treatment.
Sometimes the rabies virus can spread to pets, such as dogs, cats, and ferrets. But household pets rarely get rabies, because most of them get rabies vaccines. Pets that stay indoors are very unlikely to get rabies.
It’s possible to get rabies even when you don't see an animal bite. For example, bat bites or scratches may be so small that you don't notice them. If you or your children come in direct contact with a bat, or if you find a bat in a closed room with a sleeping person, call your doctor right away. People also can get rabies by handling animals with rabies or inhaling the virus, but these cases are rare.
What are the symptoms?
Signs of rabies in animals may include drooling, foaming at the mouth, or paralysis. A pet with rabies also may behave differently than usual, such as acting shy when the pet usually is friendly. A wild animal with rabies may have no fear of humans.
Rabies in humans begins with symptoms such as fever, cough, or sore throat. Later, symptoms become more serious and can include restlessness, hallucinations, and seizures. The final stage is coma and death.
As soon as symptoms appear, it’s too late for a cure. Rabies is nearly always deadly. The time from exposure to the rabies virus until symptoms appear usually is 2 to 3 months. In rare cases, it may be shorter or much longer.
If you believe you were exposed to the rabies virus, it is very important to get medical care before symptoms begin.
What should you do if you think you have been exposed to rabies?
First, wash the animal bite, scratch, or open sore with soap and water. Then call your doctor and local health department right away. They can help you find out if you have been infected with the rabies virus.
If you have been bitten by or exposed to an animal that is at low risk for having rabies, such as a pet, the animal will be captured by people trained to handle rabid animals. It will be watched for signs of rabies. Because rabies is deadly, your doctor may not wait to find out if the animal has rabies. If the doctor thinks there’s a chance that the animal is rabid, you will start to get a series of shots right away. These shots help your body’s immune system destroy the disease in its early stages.
If you have been bitten by or exposed to an animal that is at high risk for having rabies, you will start getting the shots right away. If possible, the animal will be watched for signs of rabies or will be killed for testing. If it is found to have rabies, you will continue the series of shots. But if the animal doesn't have rabies, you can stop getting the shots.
If an animal shows signs of rabies but can't be captured for testing, it often is assumed to be rabid.
Frequently Asked Questions
Learning about rabies: | |
Being diagnosed: | |
Getting treatment: | |
Ongoing concerns: |
| By: | Healthwise Staff | Last Revised: August 31, 2010 |
| Medical Review: | E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine W. David Colby IV, MSc, MD, FRCPC - Infectious Disease | |
© 1995-2011 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.
Welcome to Care Circle, an exclusive tool to help you take care of yourself and your loved ones. Here's how it works:
- Create profiles for yourself and your loved ones.
- Select the topics and conditions that interest each of you.
- Get customized news updates, original content, tools, and expert advice for each Care Circle member delivered directly to your personalized homepage.
The information you input is strictly private; you choose who has access to your Care Circle.
How do I add myself or someone else to my care circle?
Click on "Add someone." Fill out the short profile. Choose an avatar. Select the topics and conditions that interest this person from the pulldown menu. You can select as many as you want, but you must choose at least one. Click on "Add Someone" again. You should start getting updates immediately.
How do I save content to my Care Circle?
Click on "Manage My Care Circle." Select the tab of the person for whom you're saving content. Put your cursor over the piece of content that you want to save; a disk icon will appear in the righthand corner. Click on the disk and the piece of content will be moved to a save folder.
How do I add additional topics and conditions for someone in my Care Circle?
Click on "Manage My Care Circle." Select the tab for the person whose preferences you'd like to update. Under "Add More to Follow," select additional topics and conditions.
How do I delete topics and conditions for someone in my Care Circle?
Click on "Manage My Care Circle." Select the tab for the person whose preferences you'd like to update. Under "Follows," scroll over the topic or condition you want to delete. An "X" should appear on the righthand side. Click on the "X" and the topic or condition will be deleted from the list.
To manage your Care Circle, Please
Sign In.
from
- Facebook is now fueling organ donations
- Military women and suicide: Home safe but not sound
- Still in gear: Injuries don’t stop veterans on 100-day bike trek
- Ask Jenna: I've hit a weight loss plateau. What do I do?
- He poses in a tutu to laugh in face of wife's cancer
- After chemo hair loss, 'henna crowns' help heal
The iVillage Network