Rabies (pronounced /ˈreɪbiːz/. From Latin: rabies. Also known as “hydrophobia”) is a viral zoonotic neuroinvasive disease that causes acute encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) in mammals. It is most commonly caused by a bite from an infected animal, but occasionally by other forms of contact. It is fatal if left untreated. In some countries it is a significant killer of livestock.

The rabies virus makes its way to the brain by following the peripheral nerves. The incubation period of the disease depends on how far the virus must travel to reach the central nervous system, usually taking a few months.[1] Once the infection reaches the central nervous system and symptoms begin to show, the untreated infection is usually fatal within days.

In the beginning stages of rabies, the symptoms are malaise, headache, and fever, while in later stages it includes acute pain, violent movements, uncontrolled excitements, depressions, and the inability to swallow water (hence the name hydrophobia). In the final stages, the patient begins to have periods of mania and lethargy, and coma. Death generally occurs due to respiratory insufficiency.[1]

Rabies is a deadly virus spread to people from the saliva of infected animals. The rabies virus is usually transmitted through a bite.

Animals most likely to transmit rabies in the United States include bats, coyotes, foxes, raccoons and skunks. In developing countries of Africa and Southeast Asia, stray dogs are the most likely to spread rabies to people.

Once a person begins showing signs and symptoms of rabies, the disease is nearly always fatal. For that reason, vaccines to stop the rabies virus from infecting the body are given to anyone who may have a risk of contracting rabies.

Person A gets bitten by a bat, searches Google, and follows the #1 link to Wikipedia:
(emphasis mine)

"Oh well," he thinks, "The bat probably didn't have rabies, and even if it did, if by some oddball chance I actually get rabies and need to go to the doctor it's only the untreated infection which is usually fatal. I can just get the treatment and all will be well."

Person B gets bitten by the same bat. He uses Live Search, following the first link to content from the Mayo Clinic. There he reads:

(emphasis mine)

"Oh crap," he says, "I'd better get to a doctor!"

with few exceptions. Early treatment to prevent disease from a bite involves not only vaccination but immediate injection of virus-neutralizing antibodies into the wound and also into the system. The sooner this is done, the better."

Good pickup. In fact, neither one of these are very good at eplaining the problem. Yes, vaccines are given to those who have a risk of contracting rabies, but that includes just at-risk people who explore caves and so on. Our hypothetical guy is interested in treatment for a bite, where he's going to need more. Not only vaccine, but (more importantly) hyperimmune globulin, because by then it may be too even for a vaccine to do any good (though it's worth doing, and is how Pasteur saved lives).

"People who are bitten by animals which may have rabies must see a doctor immediately for preventive treatment, since treatment does not work once symptoms begin, and by then the disease will be fatal, with few exceptions. Early treatment to prevent disease from a bite involves not only vaccination but immediate injection of virus-neutralizing antibodies into the wound and also into the system. The sooner this is done, the better."

When to see a doctor
Seek immediate medical care if you're bitten by any animal. Based on your injuries and situation in which the bite occurred, you and your doctor can decide whether you should receive treatment to prevent rabies.

If you aren't sure whether you've been bitten, seek medical attention. For instance, a bat that flies into your room while you're sleeping may bite you without awaking you. If you awake to find a bat in your room, assume you've been bitten. Also if you find a bat near a person who can't report a bite, such as a small child or disabled person, assume that person has been bitten.

Are there any exceptions? The only I have heard of is quite contested; a woman who was treated by literally immersing her brain in immune serum - but many physicians believe she hadn't rabies first place.

Luís Henrique

If you have reason to believe you may have something fatal, you should consult your doctor about it rather than relying on any Web site.

Once a person begins showing signs and symptoms of rabies, the disease is nearly always fatal. For that reason, vaccines to stop the rabies virus from infecting the body are given to anyone who may have a risk of contracting rabies.

In non-vaccinated humans, rabies is almost invariably fatal after neurological symptoms have developed, but prompt post-exposure vaccination may prevent the virus from progressing. There are only six known cases of a person surviving symptomatic rabies, and only one known case of survival in which the patient received no rabies-specific treatment either before or after illness onset.[1]

The point that most responsible publications try to get across is ... you'd better haul ass to a doctor anyway. Wikipedia fails miserably at getting this point across, and even encourages people to wait ...

no rabies in Australia ...but seriously, some prose massage looks in order......

They're calling it Australian Bat Lyssavirus. Whatever, if they want to live in their fantasy world.

In the U.S., about half of all food cases of plague since 1970 have occurred in New Mexico. There were 2 plague deaths in the state in 2006, the first fatalities in 12 years.[29]

For what it's worth the top editors of the article do include User:Joelmills who identifies as a practicing veterinarian. Here's what it looked like upon his last edit to the page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=...oldid=231818588

This is not a small distiction, as it has a big impact on pet vaccination in Australia, and the danger from wild-ground animal reservoirs, which is considerable in other countries, is thought not to exist in Austalia. The Lyssavirus occurs in both fruit and insect eating bats, but they apparently don't do much biting of the Australian wild-animal ground population. (If Australia has a vampire type bat, it plays no role here). At least, I cannot find evidence that the virus has spread from bats to any other reservoir.

And the vaccine has to be readministered about once a year to remain effective, as a veterinarian mate of mine must do; and seemingly missing from the article. An issue here is that most people don't go to their doctor seeking "rabies advice", and will pick it up from journals, and the likes of WP.

No, I think you're working on old info. After the immunizing course of 3-5 shots, you should be more or less immune to rabies for life*, with boosters only recommended for extremely high risk people (animal control people, spelunkers, etc). I wouldn't think a vet would need one more often than every 5 or 10 years. Nobody really knows-- this is based on guesses from antibody levels.

* Even a vaccinated person, if bitten, is recommended to get two more vaccine doses-- one immediately and one in 3 days. This is an improvement over needing the full 5 shot course if you're bitten while unvaccinated, plus immune globulin.

That's interesting, maybe he's making "doubly sure". I used to think it was every 18 months, but just for the interest I'll ask him next time we talk. He works in North America, and not local. Our last case here was about 1906, afaik.

If he's making "doubly sure" he's doing it very expensively, since the stuff is about $400 for a series of 3 shots, which are usually given to young veterinarians are at 1, 8, and 22 days (that is, 3 shots over 3 weeks, given at week 0, 1 and 3). Then no more. So the whole thing is screwy.

There are about 3 cases of (of course fatal) rabies in humans per year in the US, about 2 out of every 3 associated with bat bites.

It's more a booster dose, and came accross this on the www, and it mentions every two years. $400 is a lot of dosh, the cost is probably only about $30, but that's a guess. Domestic cats commonly carry, that's where the big danger is.

I remember the old Beavis & Butthead episode where Beavis was bitten by a crazed dog, he showed the bite-off at school. Butthead cleaned the wound by pouring a sports drink in it, and said, "sports drinks have nutrients". Later Beavis went to the doctor. The doctor didn't want to do a rabies cure but then Beavis popped an alka-seltzer into his mouth, his mouth foamed like mad, and he shouted "RABIES!!!!"

That's a useful link on the titer testing. They have a more sophisticated recommendation based on that, and whether a vet works in an endemic area.

The cost isn't dosh.
http://prod.hopkins-abxguide.org/vaccines/...0289&siteId=153
The human diploid vaccine (Imovax) or chick embryo vaccine (RabAvert) is expensive as hell: $150 a dose at least. It's animal vaccines that are cheap.

Cats are not "carriers". No animals are rabies "carriers." Any animal with rabies is dying, and will die shortly (in few weeks at most). That includes bats. It's fatal in all species.

Rabies is almost invariably fatal if post-exposure prophylaxis is not administered prior to the onset of severe symptoms.