Also called: Also called: Hydrophobia
Rabies is a deadly animal disease caused by a virus. It can happen in wild animals, including raccoons, skunks, bats and foxes, or in dogs, cats or farm animals. People get it from the bite of an infected animal.
In people, symptoms of rabies include fever, headache and fatigue, then confusion, hallucinations and paralysis. Once the symptoms begin, the disease is usually fatal. A series of shots can prevent rabies in people exposed to the virus. You need to get them right away. If an animal bites you, wash the wound well; then get medical care.
To help prevent rabies
- Vaccinate your pet. Rabies vaccines are available for dogs, cats and farm animals
- Don't let pets roam
- Don't approach stray animals. Animals with rabies might be aggressive and vicious, or tired and weak
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- General Questions & Answers about Rabies(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/rabies/qanda/general.html
- Rabies(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/bacterial_viral/rabies.html
- Rabies(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/rabies/
- Rabies(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/rabies/DS00484/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
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CDC Signs North American Rabies Management Plan(10/08/2008, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/news/2008/10/rabies.html
- Rabies Vaccine Supply Situation(09/04/2008, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/rabies/news/RabVaxupdate.html
- Animal Bites: First Aid(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/first-aid-animal-bites/FA00044/METHOD=print
- Rabies Post-Exposure: Treatment of Wounds(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/rabies/exposure/postexposure.html
- Questions and Answers about Rabies, Bats and Summer Camps(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/rabies/qanda/bats_camps.html
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Rabies Vaccine(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - Links to PDF - http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/vis/downloads/vis-rabies.pdf
Also available in Spanish http://www.immunize.org/vis/sp_rab06.pdf
- Reducing the Risk of Rabies(Food and Drug Administration) - http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2005/405_rabies.html
- What to Do if You Have a Potential Rabies Exposure(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/rabies/exposure/types.html
- Bats & Rabies(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/rabies/bats.html
- Rabies: Health Information for International Travel(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/yellowBookCh4-Rabies.aspx
- What If I Was Exposed Outside the United States?(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/rabies/exposure/travel.html
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Towards the elimination of rabies in Eurasia. Proceedings of a... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18828203&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Rabies trend in China (1990-2007) and post-exposure prophylaxis in the... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18717989&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: WELYSSA: a simple tool using mouse monoclonal antibodies for the... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18634519&tool=MedlinePlus
- Rabies -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=(rabies[majr]+OR+rabies+vaccine[majr])+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - http://www.cdc.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://www.cdc.gov/spanish/
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National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
- http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/
- Rabies: Epidemiology(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/rabies/epidemiology.html
- Kid's Rabies Web Page(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/kidsrabies/
- Rabies(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/kid/health_problems/infection/rabies.html
- Animal Bites - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/animalbites.html
- Infections - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/infections.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Rabies is the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases - http://www.niaid.nih.gov/