• Rabies in
Animals
Animals with rabies may act differently than healthy animals. Wild animals may move slowly or act
tame.
Also, some wild animals, like foxes,
raccoons, and skunks, that normally avoid porcupines, may receive a
face full of quills if they become
rabid and try to bite these prickly
rodents. A pet that is usually friendly
may snap at you and try to bite.
There are two common types of rabies. One type is "furious" rabies.
Animals with this type are
hostile, may bite at objects, and have an
increase in saliva. In the movies and in
books, rabid animals foam at the mouth. In real life, rabid
animals look like they have foam in their
mouth
because they have more saliva.
The second and more common form is known as paralytic or "dumb" rabies.
The dog pictured below has
this type. An animal with "dumb" rabies
is timid and shy. It often rejects food
and has paralysis of the lower jaw and muscles.
Signs of rabies in animals include:
- changes in an animal's behavior
- general sickness
- problems swallowing
- an increase i drool or saliva
- wild animals that appear abnormally tame or sick
- animals that may bite at everything if excited
- difficulty moving or paralysis
- death
Animals in the early stage of rabies may not have any signs, although they can still infect you if
they bite you.
The incubation period is
the time from the animal bite to when signs appear. In rabies, it is usually 1-3 months.
But it can
last as long as several years. Once the
virus reaches the brain or spinal cord, signs of the disease appear.
• Rabies in Humans
In humans, signs and symptoms usually occur 30-90 days after the bite. Once people develop symptoms, they
almost
always die. This is why it is
very important to tell an adult and go to your doctor right away if you have been bitten
by an animal
that might be rabid.
Early symptoms of rabies include fever, headache, sore throat, and feeling tired. As
the virus gets to
the brain, the person may act nervous,
confused, and upset.
Other symptoms of rabies in humans include:
- pain or tingling at the site of the bite.
- hallucinations(for example, seeing things that are not really there)
- hydrophobia("fear of water" due to spasms in the throat)
- paralysis(unable to move parts of the body)
As the disease advances, the person enters into a coma and dies.
Example of symptom
In Rabies: The Facts, Kaplan et. al. describe several typical cases, including one of a 23 year-old
Englishwoman:
"On June 17, 1981 she was
bitten on the ankle by a dog in New Delhi. On August 18, about two months later, she
experienced the
first prodromal symptoms. She became
anxious and depressed, and it became impossible for her
to drink more than small sips of liquid. While
sleeping, she frequently sat up in bed
suddenly, terrified. On August 19,
she became confused, hallucinated, and was incontinent of urine. On
August 20, she was unable to eat or drink
and
was taken to the hospital where she hallucinated and screamed in terror. Misdiagnosed as a
psychiatric case, she was
injected with a
tranquilizer and sent home, however she repeatedly woke up screaming in fear and became so wild and
agitated that her husband felt he could not
deal with her by himself and took her to her mother's house. She remained
terrified, hallucinating and
screaming in horror throughout the night.
She had had no water for almost three days.
She fell into a coma the next morning, and died on August
23."
