bjones
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Rabies is a serious viral disease that is spread through the bites of mammals. All mammals are affected by the rabies virus and all mammals can transmit the virus, including dogs. In fact, 97% of rabies cases in humans are from dog bites. Many other mammals commonly carry rabies: bats, raccoons, foxes, skunks, monkeys, wolves, coyotes, cats, and weasels. Rodents seem to have a strong resistance to rabies and, while not immune, the virus rarely infects them. The rabies virus affects the nervous system, and most of the viruses attach to the nerve cells. The viruses are also present in the saliva and that is why bites are the most common form of transmission.
Rabies is a fatal disease. Once infected, symptoms begin to appear anywhere from 2 – 12 weeks later. After symptoms have begun, the death rate is 99% for the infected. In recorded history, only three people have survived a rabies infection with no treatment. The beginning symptoms of rabies are much like the flu. Patients with rabies begin experiencing fever, headache, pain, and depression an average of 2 months after being infected. Soon, the symptoms become worse. Partial paralysis is common, accompanied by insomnia, anxiety, confusion, and brain damage. Then, paranoia, hallucinations, and delirium begin to set in. Finally, patients experience a tight throat and respiratory difficulties, which eventually lead to death. Before death, patients have difficulty swallowing because the jaw and throat become paralyzed. This symptom has led rabies to be informally called lockjaw.
In 1885, Louis Pasteur and Emile Roux developed a vaccine for rabies. In Western Europe and the United States, animal control and vaccinations have drastically reduced the cases of rabies in humans. Deaths from rabies were reported at over 100 per year in the early 20th century United States. Today, rabies deaths in the U.S. are at an average of 2 per year. Treatment of rabies after exposure is highly effective. The 14-day treatment consists of four rabies vaccinations and one injection of rabies immunoglobin. Rabies treatment is expensive, and because of this, deaths around the world from rabies are still at about 55,000 per year.
 Posted 5391 day ago
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