Can you cure rabies

People usually get rabies when a rabid animal bites them. People in Canada and the U. Bats, raccoons, skunks, foxes, and coyotes are the animals most likely to have rabies in Canada and the U.

Sometimes the rabies virus can spread to pets, such as dogs, cats, and ferrets. But household pets rarely get rabies, because most of them get rabies vaccines. Pets that stay indoors are very unlikely to get rabies. It's possible to get rabies even when you don't see an animal bite. For example, bat bites or scratches may be so small that you don't notice them.

If you or your children come in direct contact with a bat, or if you find a bat in a closed room with a sleeping person, call your doctor right away. Signs of rabies in animals may include drooling, foaming at the mouth, or paralysis. A pet with rabies also may behave differently than usual, such as acting shy when the pet usually is friendly.

A wild animal with rabies may have no fear of humans. Rabies in humans begins with symptoms such as fever, headache, difficulty swallowing, excessive drooling, muscle spasm or weakness, or strange behaviour.

Later, symptoms become more serious and can include restlessness, paralysis, hallucinations , and seizures. The final stage is coma and death. If you think you've been exposed to the rabies virus, it's very important to get medical care before symptoms begin. If symptoms appear, it's too late for a cure, and the infection will probably lead to death. The time from exposure to the virus until symptoms appear usually is 3 to 8 weeks.

In rare cases, it may be shorter or much longer. The time before symptoms start depends on the location of the bite. For example, a bite on the face will cause symptoms much sooner than a bite on a foot. The treatment for someone who has been exposed to rabies is a series of shots known as post-exposure prophylaxis PEP , also known as rabies post-exposure prophylaxis RPEP. These shots help the body's immune system destroy the disease in its early stages.

In rare cases, patients may experience symptoms like headache, nausea, abdominal pain, muscle aches, and dizziness. You should also tell your healthcare provider if you have any severe allergies, or if you have a weakened immune system due to a chronic condition or use of certain medication such as steroids. Get our printable guide for your next healthcare provider's appointment to help you ask the right questions. The guidelines identify three categories of rabies exposure. The first category is defined as "touching or feeding animals, licks on intact skin," but post-exposure prophylaxis PEP is recommended only for category 2 and category 3 exposure.

The vaccine given to prevent rabies after exposure to the virus is safe and effective for most people, with side effects that are similar to those of any vaccine:.

After booster shots, some people develop hives , joint pain, or fever. There are few known long-term complications associated with the rabies vaccine, although there have been rare reports of Guillain-Barre syndrome following the vaccine. The American Veterinary Medication Association recommends parents and pets:. Sign up for our Health Tip of the Day newsletter, and receive daily tips that will help you live your healthiest life.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Human Rabies. Updated June 11, Bats Lead in U. Rabies Risk.

Published June 12, Rabies around the World. Rabies Vaccine. Updated September 24, Human Rabies Immune Globulin. Updated April 22, Rabies Vaccine Information Statement. Published October 6, World Health Organization. WHO announces new rabies recommendations. Published Jan 15, Rabies VIS. Rabies vacccine: What you need to know. The rabies vaccine is given in a series of five shots over 14 days. Doctors will treat your wound by washing it for at least 15 minutes with soap and water, detergent, or iodine.

This protocol is known as post-exposure prophylaxis. Rabies is a preventable disease. There are simple measures you can take to help keep you from catching rabies:. Domestic animals, like dogs and cats, are responsible for the majority of animal bites. Read more about types of bites, symptoms, and treatments. Animal bites on your hand and fingers are common, especially from pets like dogs and cats. Though these injuries are typically not life-threatening….

Dog bites should be treated immediately to reduce risk for infection. We explain first aid tips for dog bite treatment at home, plus signs of…. Getting scratched by your dog can happen, especially during feeding and playtime. Learn about possible health risks from dog scratches and how to…. Foaming at the mouth is a rare physical symptom of drug overdose, seizures, and rabies. Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Symptoms Transmission Risk factors Diagnosis Cure Vaccine Prevention Rabies — the word probably brings to mind an enraged animal frothing at the mouth.

Coma and death soon follow. Furious, or encephalitic rabies : This occurs in 80 percent of human cases. The person is more likely to experience hyperactivity and hydrophobia.

Rabies is most common in countries where stray dogs are present in large numbers, especially in Asia and Africa. It is passed on through saliva. Rabies can develop if a person receives a bite from an infected animal, or if saliva from an infected animal gets into an open wound or through a mucous membrane, such as the eyes or mouth.

It cannot pass through unbroken skin. In the U. Bats carrying rabies have been found in all 48 states that border with each other. Any mammal can harbor and transmit the virus, but smaller mammals, such as rodents, rarely become infected or transmit rabies. Rabbits are unlikely to spread rabies. This is the time before symptoms appear. It usually lasts from 3 to 12 weeks, but it can take as little as 5 days or more than 2 years.

By the time symptoms appear, rabies is usually fatal. Anyone who may have been exposed to the virus should seek medical help at once, without waiting for symptoms. Early, flu-like symptoms, include :. If the person enters a coma, death will occur within a matter of hours, unless they are attached to a ventilator.

Rarely, a person may recover at this late stage. Intense spasms in the throat are triggered when trying to swallow.

Even the thought of swallowing water can cause spasms. This is where the fear comes from. If the individual could swallow saliva easily, this would reduce the risk of spreading the virus to a new host. At the time of a bite, there is usually no way to tell for sure whether an animal is rabid, or whether it has passed on an infection. Lab tests may show antibodies , but these may not appear until later in the development of the disease.

The virus may be isolated from saliva or through a skin biopsy.