Rabies: Symptoms and Treatment

What Is Rabies?

Rabies is a virus that attacks the central nervous system. It's found only in mammals, which are warm-blooded animals with fur or hair (including humans).

Human cases of the virus are extremely rare in the United States, but if it's not treated before symptoms appear, it's deadly. Rabies has the highest mortality rate -- 99.9% -- of any disease on earth. The key is to get treated right away if you think you've been exposed to an animal that has rabies.

Rabies Causes

The rabies virus causes the rabies infection and can spread through saliva, often from an infected animal biting another animal or human.

The virus is found only in mammals. In the United States, rabies is mostly found in wild animals like coyotes, raccoons, skunks, bats, and foxes. Pets (such as dogs and cats) and livestock (like horses and cattle) can also get rabies. Most pets and livestock that get rabies were not vaccinated against it. In the U.S., dog owners are required to vaccinate their pets against rabies, but in other countries without that law, it's common for dogs to get rabies.

Rabies in Humans

Normally, rabies is spread through a deep bite or scratch from an infected animal. Rabies is passed through direct contact with saliva, such as through a cut in the skin, or mucous membranes like the eyes, nose, or mouth. You could also get rabies from touching brain or nervous system tissue from an infected animal.

Human cases of the virus are very rare in the United States, but if it's not treated before symptoms appear, it's deadly. Most humans in this country who were infected with rabies got it from bats. People may not recognize a scratch or bite from a bat, because it can be very small. Exposure to rabid dog outside the U.S. is the second leading cause of rabies deaths in Americans and the top cause in other countries.