Diagnosing Rabies

Pretty much everyone has heard of rabies. It's the disease that's spread by infected dogs, bats or other mammals. But how would you know if you actually have rabies or not, and what exactly is rabies? First of all, left untreated, someone who has become infected with rabies will usually die. Rabies is caused by a virus, not a bacteria, and therefore affects a person's RNA by causing the RNA to replicate more of the virus. A doctor will need to see the patient as soon as possible and can do blood tests and blood cultures to detect the rabies virus. The virus looks like a tube or rod under the microscope.

People become infected with rabies when they are bitten by rabid animals. The virus can be transmitted by contact with contaminated blood or saliva. Most mammals can become infected, but the usual creatures are bats, dogs, cats, skunks or raccoons, but for some reason it's rare to find a rabid squirrel or rabbit. Rodents generally aren't a danger. Infected animals tend to be very aggressive, hence the reason they bite. Bites are not the only way to become infected. If the virus becomes airborne or aerosolized, simply breathing in the infected air can contaminate a person. This has happened to people who explore caves and breath in dust from bat guano (feces). Rabies is almost never passed from person to person.

Once a rabid animals bites a person, the virus travels into the nervous system. If a person receives a vaccination quick enough, the virus can be killed, however, once the virus gets into the brain, it can cause encephalitis, which is a swelling of the brain. This is the point when the symptoms begin to show themselves. Symptoms are like many viral infections and mimic the flu. This can occur within a few weeks to a few months. As the virus reproduces more and more, the person may experience confusion, anxiety, strange behavior or even paralysis. One of the last symptoms is one of the strangest, hydrophobia. This is a fear of water, probably brought on by the victim not being able to swallow very well. Since they fear liquids, they dehydrate rapidly. Soon after this stage, maybe within as little as 2 days, and as long as 10 days, the person will likely die. If someone does manage to survive rabies, they will probably suffer from brain damage.

Basically the only way to prevent rabies, other than never getting infected in the first place, is to be vaccinated. This applies to humans as well as animals. Humans, however, are not generally vaccinated against rabies, unless they deal with wild animals a lot and are likely to be exposed to rabies. The modern vaccine was developed in 1967, but other variations are being developed. There is treatment available, but it must be received within a week or so of becoming infected. The patient will be given immunoglobulin and 5 doses of rabies vaccine within a month. The injections are no longer given in the stomach as they were previously, which is a relief to anyone who's been bitten by a rabid animal. Since rabies is such a terrible disease, and the fact that it is preventable, vaccines should always be given to domestic animals and pets. Some countries have managed to eliminate rabies from their boundaries, and for this reason, they have strict quarantine requirements for the importing of animals, including pets.