🦠 Rabies

 

🦠 Rabies

Rabies is a viral infection that affects the brain and nervous system.
It is almost always fatal once symptoms begin — but it is preventable if treated early.

Rabies is caused by the rabies virus and spreads through the saliva of infected animals.

---

🧠 What’s Actually Happening?

When a person is bitten:

1. The virus enters through broken skin

2. It travels along nerves

3. It slowly moves toward the brain

4. It causes brain inflammation (encephalitis)

Once it reaches the brain and symptoms start, survival is extremely rare.

The key window for treatment is before symptoms appear.

---

🐾 How It Spreads

Rabies spreads through:

• Bites from infected animals

• Scratches contaminated with saliva

• Rarely through mucous membrane exposure

Common carriers worldwide:

• Dogs (most common globally)

• Bats

• Raccoons

• Skunks

• Foxes

It does not spread through casual contact.

---

🔍 Early Symptoms

Symptoms may appear weeks to months after exposure:

• Fever

• Headache

• Tingling or pain at bite site

• Fatigue

---

🔴 Advanced Symptoms

• Anxiety or agitation

• Confusion

• Hallucinations

• Difficulty swallowing

• Fear of water (hydrophobia)

• Excess saliva

• Paralysis

At this stage, rabies is almost always fatal.

---

🛠 Treatment (CRITICAL)

If bitten or exposed:

1. Wash the wound immediately with soap and water

2. Seek emergency medical care

3. Receive:

   • Rabies immune globulin

   • Rabies vaccine series

Post-exposure treatment is extremely effective if given before symptoms start.

Once symptoms begin, treatment is rarely successful.

---

💉 Prevention

• Vaccinate pets

• Avoid wild animals

• Pre-exposure vaccine for high-risk individuals (veterinarians, travelers)

Rabies deaths are preventable with proper medical care.

---

💥 Bottom Line

Rabies is:

• A deadly viral infection of the brain

• Spread through infected animal saliva

• Almost always fatal after symptoms begin

• Preventable with immediate treatment after exposure

If you are bitten by a potentially rabid animal — seek medical care immediately.