- Rabies is caused the rabies virus.- Animals house the virus. When an infected animal bites a human, they can transmit the virus.
- If you are bit by a potentially infected animal, immediately wash the wound.
- Prophylactically, doctors administer virus antibodies to the wound to help the body fight the initial infection.
- Rabies causes encephalitis (aka brain infection).
- Patients with rabies die from brain damage.
- After the initial bite, rabies symptoms won't occur for six months to a year because the virus has a long route to travel before it can reach the brain.
- The virus has to travel through the skin, then the muscle, then the peripheral nervous system, then the central nervous system, and then finally to the brain.
- Unique rabies symptoms: frothing at the mouth and refusing to drink water.
Aww, how could this cute little critter be a host for such an awful virus?
Ahhhhh that's baby Mitten, too cute, little black tipped tail and all. That's the size of him when he came home with us...plus he has a baby too :)
ReplyDeleteMitten only gives kisses - no viruses :)
xoxo Mom