Rabies: Causes, Symptoms, Risk Factors and Treatment

Written by Medicover Team and Medically Reviewed by Dr Badal Shivnarayan Taori , General Medicine

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Rabies is a serious disease that affects the brain and nervous system. It spreads when an infected animal, usually a dog, bites or scratches a person. The virus travels through the body, causing symptoms such as fever, headache, and confusion.

If left untreated, rabies can be fatal. It is important to seek medical help immediately after any animal bite or scratch, especially from wild or stray animals.

Rabies is rare in many countries thanks to vaccinations and animal control, but it still affects thousands of people worldwide every year, mostly in places where pets are not routinely vaccinated.

Dogs, bats, wolves, foxes, mongooses, and monkeys are usually known to spread rabies. In India, stray dogs are most likely to infect people with this virus.

Once rabies symptoms start to appear, the disease almost invariably results in death. For protection, rabies vaccinations are recommended for individuals at risk of contracting the virus.

What Is the RABV Virus?

The rabies virus, scientifically known as RABV, is the pathogen that causes rabies. Here's what you need to know:

• Type of Virus: RABV is part of a family called lyssaviruses.
• How It Spreads: It travels through saliva, usually from a bite or scratch.
• Target: The virus attacks the nervous system, especially the brain and spinal cord.
• Incubation Period: Symptoms might appear weeks after infection, depending on where the bite happened.
• Preventable: Rabies can be prevented with vaccines given right after exposure.

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What Are the Symptoms of Rabies in Humans?

Rabies is a serious infection that affects the brain and nervous system. After a person is bitten or scratched by an infected animal, symptoms usually appear within a few weeks. These symptoms can be scary but knowing them helps you act quickly.

Rabies symptoms can be grouped mainly into two types: furious rabies and paralytic rabies. Sometimes, people show general acute neurologic symptoms before these forms appear.

• Fever
• Headache
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Agitation
• Hyperactivity
• Difficulty swallowing water or liquids
• Excessive salivation
• Difficulty swallowing
• Hallucinations

Acute Neurologic Symptoms

These early signs affect the nervous system and include:

• Fever and headache
• General weakness or discomfort
• Anxiety and confusion
• Difficulty sleeping (Insomnia or sleep disorders)
• Partial paralysis

Furious Rabies Symptoms

This is the more common and well-known form, marked by:

• Restlessness and irritability
• Extreme agitation and aggression
• Excessive saliva or drooling
• Hallucinations and seizures

Paralytic Rabies Symptoms

This form progresses more slowly and causes:

• Muscle weakness that starts at the bite site
• Gradual paralysis spreading through the body
• Loss of sensation and eventual coma

If you or someone shows these symptoms after an animal bite, get medical help immediately. Early treatment can save lives.

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What Are the Causes of Rabies?

Rabies is caused by a virus that spreads through the saliva of infected animals. The most common way people get rabies is through bites or scratches from animals that carry the virus. It's important to know that once symptoms appear, rabies can be very serious, so early attention is key.

How Rabies Spreads (Causes)?

• Animal bites, especially from dogs, bats, foxes, or raccoons
• Scratches or broken skin exposed to infected saliva
• Licking of wounds or open cuts by an infected animal
• Handling infected animals without protection (rare cases)

Even though rabies can affect anyone, some people are more at risk due to their surroundings or lifestyle.

Who Is at Higher Risk for Rabies?

• Children who play outdoors and may approach stray animals
• Pet owners who don't vaccinate their animals
• People working with animals, like vets or animal control staff
• Travelers visiting areas where rabies is common
• Wildlife handlers or people living near forests

If you ever get bitten or scratched by an animal, especially a stray or wild one, wash the wound with soap and water and seek medical help immediately. Getting treatment early can prevent rabies from developing.

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What Is the Diagnosis Procedure of Rabies?

Diagnosing rabies can be tricky because symptoms often appear late and can look like other illnesses. If someone is bitten by an animal or shows signs like confusion, fear of water, or sudden behavior changes, doctors may consider rabies as a possible cause. Quick medical attention is very important.

Since there's no single test that confirms rabies right away in living people, doctors use a combination of checks and lab tests.

Here are the common tests used:

• Skin biopsy: A small piece of skin is taken from the back of the neck to check for the virus.
• Saliva test: Your saliva may be tested for traces of the rabies virus.
• Blood test: This checks for antibodies your body makes if it's fighting the virus.
• Spinal fluid test (lumbar puncture): Doctors may collect fluid from your spine to look for infection signs.
• Brain tests (in severe cases): MRI or CT scans might be done if brain swelling is suspected.

Doctors also ask about recent animal bites or contact with wild animals.

Early diagnosis is key. If there's a risk of exposure, treatment should begin right away, even before test results come back.

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What is the Treatment for Rabies?

Once the infection has taken hold, there is no cure for rabies. Although a few people have managed to survive, the illness usually results in death. If you believe you have been exposed to rabies, you must receive a series of shots to stop the disease from becoming fatal.

You'll get a series of shots if you've been bitten by an animal known to have rabies to stop the virus from infecting you. If the animal cannot be tested, it is usually considered best to assume that the animal has rabies. However, this will depend on a number of variables, including the species of the animal and the circumstances surrounding the bite.

Rabies vaccinations include

• A rapid-acting vaccination against the virus called rabies immune globulin. If you haven't received the rabies vaccine, you'll receive this. As soon as feasible after the bite, this injection is administered as close as possible to the location where the animal bit you.
• A series of rabies shots to train your body to recognise and combat the rabies virus The rabies vaccine is injected into your arm. If you've never gotten the rabies vaccine, you'll get four shots spread out over 14 days. If you have had the rabies vaccination, you will receive two shots throughout the first three days.

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When To See a Doctor?

If you are bitten by an animal or are exposed to one that may have rabies, get immediate medical help. Based on your injuries and the circumstances surrounding the exposure, the doctor for rabies will guide you and decide if you need to get rabies therapy or not.

Seek medical assistance even if you're unsure whether you've been bitten. A bat that enters your room while you are asleep, for example, might bite you without waking you up.

Additionally, if you see a bat or another one of these animals close to someone who is unable to express themselves, like a young child or someone who is disabled, you should assume they have been bitten.

A rabies infection is brought on by the rabies virus. This virus is transferred via infected animals' saliva. By biting another animal or a person, infected animals can transmit the virus.

When contaminated saliva contacts an open wound or mucous membranes, such as the mouth or eyes, rabies can, in rare instances, be transmitted. Rabies may also occur if an infected animal licks an open wound on your skin.

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What Animals Are You Most Likely to Get Rabies From?

Animals that transmit this virus are:

Pets and farm animals

• Cats
• Cows
• Dogs
• Goats
• Horses

Wild animals

• Bats
• Coyotes
• Foxes
• Monkeys
• Raccoons

It has rarely been seen that the virus is transferred from an infected organ to recipients of tissue and organ transplants.

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What to do for the Prevention of Rabies Infection?

In order to lessen your chances of interacting with rabies animals:

• Immunise your pets: It is possible to vaccinate your pets like cats, dogs, and goats against rabies. Do check with your vet on the vaccination frequency.
• Pets should be kept inside: Keep your pets indoors, and keep an eye on them if you have to let them out. By doing this, you can prevent your pets from encountering other animals that may be carrying the virus.
• Inform your local authorities about stray animals: To report stray dogs and cats, contact your neighborhood's animal control department or other local law enforcement agencies.
• Stay away from wild animals: Rabies-infected wild animals may appear fearful of humans. Avoid any animal that seems unafraid because it's unusual for a wild animal to be friendly with humans.
• Prevent bats from your house: Fill in any openings or crevices where bats could enter your house. If you are aware that there are bats in your home, consult a local expert to come up with solutions to keep them out.
• Get a vaccine for rabies: If you find yourself frequently around animals that may have rabies, do speak to a doctor and consider getting yourself vaccinated. Definitely get the rabies vaccine if you work as a veterinarian or in a lab where the rabies virus is present.

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Lifestyle Changes and Self-care

To prevent rabies and other infections make following changes:

• Keep your pets clean and make them bathe as frequently as possible.
• Take your pets for regular doctor checkups.
• Get all vaccinations done for your pet.
• Clean your pet's wounds and infections
• Get immunizations against rabies for you and your family.
• Check for any gaps in windows or other corners in your house so that rabies-infected bats or other animals can't enter inside.
• Wash your hands after cleaning your pet.
• Immediately visit a doctor if you or your child gets bitten by a dog, cat etc.

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Do's and Don'ts

This condition requires proper treatment and a set of do's and don'ts to be followed to manage it and its related symptoms and infections.

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Our Experience Treating Rabies

If you or a loved one may have been exposed to rabies, don't panic, we're here for you. At Medicover, we understand how frightening this can feel, but you're not alone. Our medical team is experienced in diagnosing rabies quickly so treatment can start without delay.

We typically use the following tests:

• Skin biopsy from the neck for virus detection
• Saliva test to check for rabies virus
• Blood tests to assess your immune response
• Spinal fluid test in certain cases

Stay strong, we're with you every step of the way, focused on your safety and recovery.

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