Do I Have Rabies?

Have you been in contact with any wild or unfamiliar animals?

Have you been bitten or scratched by an animal?

Did you find a bat in the room after you woke up?

Do you have a flu-like symptoms including general weakness or discomfort, fever, or headache?

Do you have episodes of anxiety, confusion, hyperactivity, insomnia or hallucinations?

Do you have excessive salivation (do you drop saliva uncontrollably from the mouth)?

Do you have difficulty swallowing and hydrophobia (irrational fear of water, caused by difficulty swallowing water)?

Do you have weakness or paralysis (you cannot move some part of the body)?

Based on your answers it is unlikely that you have rabies. Rabies is a rare but life-threatening disease caused by the rabies virus. Rabies is a deadly virus that is transmitted from the saliva of infected animals to humans, usually through a bite. Rabies is a preventable disease. Each year, approximately 55,000 Americans get post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) to prevent rabies after being bitten or scratched by an infected animal. The bites from wild infected animals, such as bats, foxes, coyotes, raccoons and skunks are the leading causes of rabies in the U.S. However, in developing countries, stray dogs still pose the greatest threat from the spread of rabies.

Based on your answers there is a possibility that you have rabies. Rabies is a serious disease caused by the virus which affects the nervous system, causing severe brain damage and eventually death. The common wild reservoirs of rabies are silver-haired bats. The bat does not always bite. Sometimes, the saliva will drool on to you, or the bat will lick your skin and transmit the virus that way. If you wake up and find a bat in the room you should get a rabies vaccine. If you have been scratched or bitten by an animal, be sure to see a doctor to determine the risk of rabies.

Based on your answers there is a high possibility that you have rabies. Rabies is a severe viral infection that affects the nerves and brain. Infected people may become hyperactive and agitated (furious rabies) or slowly become paralyzed (paralytic rabies). The period between the bite and the onset of symptoms, is usually between four and twelve weeks, but in some cases it may take a year for symptoms to appear. Anyone with a suspicion of exposure to the rabies virus must seek emergency medical help. The goal of treatment is to prevent infection immediately after exposure. Unfortunately, if rabies symptoms occur, there is usually no effective treatment.