How can you prevent
rabies?
Rabies kills if it is not prevented. Once signs of
the disease appear in an animal or a human, they usually die within 10 days. But you can
get anti-rabies shots to fight off the disease. Rabies shots need to be given as soon as
possible after a bite has occurred, before symptoms appear. The vaccination consists
of a series of six shots given over 30 days.
One shot is given around the area of
the bite. The rest are given in the arm. Sometimes an additional
shot is required the first day if they are unable to give it all around
the site of the bite. The rabies shots produce an immune
response, which helps the body fight off the virus. The shot
makes the body produce antibodies that then kill the virus.
Immune
response:
The body has a natural defense system called the immune
system. This defense system fights against invading germs like viruses. The immune system
reacts to an invasion of a virus in several ways. One way is to get the white cells to
make antibody against the virus. These antibodies attack the virus and make it harder for
the virus to enter a cell. Sometimes
the body needs help to be able to fight off a disease. A vaccination, like the one against
rabies, can help. The vaccination makes the body produce antibodies and other defenses to
fight off the disease. Children get vaccinations for other diseases like measles, mumps,
and rubella.
You can keep your pets from getting rabies by
vaccinating them. Some humans, such as veterinarians and people who work with the rabies
virus, receive the shots to protect them against the disease. Most people, though,
get the shot only if they have been bitten by an animal that might have rabies. |
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CDC's Rabies Web Page
That's Just for Kids!
Viral and Rickettsial Zoonoses
Branch (VRZB))
Division of Viral and Rickettsial Diseases (DVRD)
National Center for Infectious Diseases (NCID)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Mailing address:
Rabies Section MS G-33
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
1600 Clifton Road, NE
Atlanta, GA 30333
(404)639-1050
URL: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/rabies
This page
last reviewed February 6, 2003
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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