Rabies treatment http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/50097 frenziedmythology What's the procedure for someone who gets bitten by a wild animal and goes to the hospital for it to be checked/ And what if he does have it? What then? Fri, 10 Feb 2012 22:03:59 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/50097?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1129462 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/50097?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1129462 Gene Marlow If they don't know if the animal that bit them was rabid or not they're going to treat you for it unless they know for certain that it's not. The treatment is a series of shots over a period of time. It's not as lucky as one shot and you're done. You have to get several, and it's not going to be over with in one day. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 22:07:50 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/50097?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1129470 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/50097?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1129470 frenziedmythology How many days would it take? and what if they couldn't treat it? How long before you would start foaming at the mouth and its hopeless? (Does that even happen with humans?) Thanks. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 22:11:40 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/50097?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1129475 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/50097?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1129475 Gene Marlow Okay, so if a person gets bit they have to be treated before the serious symptoms start. Best case: they're treated within 2 hours. Risky / Borderline: 48 hours. After the initial treatment they're treated again the third, seventh, and fourteenth day after the incident. So full treatment takes in the least 2 weeks. If it didn't break skin wash the wound, and sanitize, but still go to the hospital. Symptoms start easy enough. Anxiety, stress, tension; Delirium; Drooling; Convulsions (Restraints will be used); Leads to worse things like Hallucinations; Loss of feeling to parts of body; Loss of Muscle Function; Fever; Spasms; Numbness; Pain at bite site; Insomnia; inability to swallow; and can eventually lead to coma and death. No, Humans don't froth at the mouth. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 22:38:41 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/50097?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1129517 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/50097?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1129517 frenziedmythology Would a human want to bite another human so that the other human would get it also? And what if a dog( or any creature ) had rabies for such a long time (How long before they start foaming at the mouth?) and they bit a human. Would th human who got bitten then catch rabies sooner? Thanks for any help you can give and the previous help you have given. I appreciate it. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 22:51:03 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/50097?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1129531 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/50097?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1129531 frenziedmythology Oh, and also, do all the symptoms happen at once or do they happen gradually? If gradually, what order do they come in? Fri, 10 Feb 2012 22:51:44 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/50097?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1129534 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/50097?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1129534 Phoenix Google is your friend... You could start with http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabies Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:10:21 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/50097?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1129667 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/50097?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1129667 Gene Marlow Gradually, and in the general order that I listed them. Keep in mind there are places in the world where they are Rabies free. Umm... I haven't heard anything about people trying to bite other people. Rabies doesn't create Zombies. In stage two of a dog having it is when they bite anything nearby. It can take up to six months for a dog to even start showing the signs, but just because they aren’t showing the signs doesn’t mean they aren’t contagious. But after that stage they reach the paralysis stage, and I don’t think that they last much longer than that. No amount of an animal having Rabies for longer is going to make it set in any faster. I’m not too sure when animals start to foam at the mouth. That would take a little more research. Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:49:04 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/50097?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1129744 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/50097?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1129744 frenziedmythology Thanks, Gene Marlow. Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:50:23 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/50097?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1129746 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/50097?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1129746 Dav1d Actually knowing someone who was attacked by a wild animal, it really depends. Doctors in my opinion aren't quick to treat. Many areas within the USA, don't have known active outbreaks. In such areas you are unlikely to get treatment... In my opinion even if it is requested... At least that is my experience. A couple of people have died from rabies in the past 6 months in the USA. Sat, 11 Feb 2012 01:23:15 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/50097?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1129838 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/50097?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1129838 frenziedmythology Ok. That would fit into my story easier. Thanks, Dav1d. Sat, 11 Feb 2012 12:54:09 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/50097?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1131262 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/50097?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1131262 CJHill I had an encounter with a bat last summer. I found it dead in my bedroom and quickly found out that the presumption in that case is that you've been bitten and you need to get the shots. This is because a bat's bite is so small and their teeth are so sharp you may not even know that you've been bitten. It may look like nothing more than a small scratch. In Michigan, where I live, if a person is going to be exposed to rabies it is because of a bat, not any other animal. I took the bat to the health department to be tested and was told there was still plenty of time. I found the bat on Friday morning and took it in on Monday morning so treatment doesn't have to be immediate. I believe it's like within 10 days. I was also told that there are only two shots involved. My bat came back negative on Wednesday,. I was also told the only way to contract rabies is from a bite, from the saliva of an infected animal. Hope it helps. Sat, 11 Feb 2012 17:50:19 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/50097?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1131496 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/50097?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1131496 frenziedmythology Yeah, that helps a lot. And if you don't mind my asking, how come bats are the only creatures to spread rabies in Michigan? Is it that there's like no wild dogs or anything else? (Was the bat cute?) :) Sat, 11 Feb 2012 21:14:21 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/50097?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1131784 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/50097?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1131784 Dav1d Well I can guarantee you that you don't need to be bitten to get rabies! Who ever told you that was wrong. There are caves so laden with rabies that simply breathing the air in them will get one infected. Sun, 12 Feb 2012 01:23:38 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/50097?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1132351 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/50097?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1132351 Dav1d This map (a pdf file) shows that in 2011 there was 65 confirmed cases of rabies in Michigan, of which 57 were bats, there was one dog by the way, and if you were unlucky enough to get by that dog you would have needed shots, :( <a href="http://www.michigan.gov/documents/emergingdiseases/Rabies_2011_Map_341882_7.pdf" rel="nofollow">See here</a> Hope that helps... Sun, 12 Feb 2012 01:36:40 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/50097?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1132377 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/50097?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1132377 CJHill No, we have feral dogs and cats, plus skunks, raccoons, and foxes, all know to carry rabies. It's not that bats are the only ones who get rabies; they're the ones who get it most frequently. That is according to my dog's vet and the public health nurse I talked to when this was going on... Also, from the CDC: Transmission of rabies virus usually begins when infected saliva of a host is passed to an uninfected animal. The most common mode of rabies virus transmission is through the bite and virus-containing saliva of an infected host. Though transmission has been rarely documented via other routes such as contamination of mucous membranes (i.e., eyes, nose, mouth), aerosol transmission, and corneal and organ transplantations. If you have any more questions, I suggest you check the CDC site out: http://www.cdc.gov/rabies/ Sun, 12 Feb 2012 07:01:18 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/50097?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1133265 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/50097?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1133265 CJHill [quote=Dav1d] Well I can guarantee you that you don't need to be bitten to get rabies! Who ever told you that was wrong. There are caves so laden with rabies that simply breathing the air in them will get one infected. [/quote] Dav!d, that would've been my county's public health nurse, my vet, my doctor, and several websites I've checked, including the Center for Disease Control. Transmission by other means besides saliva is rare. Sun, 12 Feb 2012 07:03:27 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/50097?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1133268 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/50097?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1133268 Dav1d [quote=CJHill] [quote=Dav1d] Well I can guarantee you that you don't need to be bitten to get rabies! Who ever told you that was wrong. There are caves so laden with rabies that simply breathing the air in them will get one infected. [/quote] Dav!d, that would've been my county's public health nurse, my vet, my doctor, and several websites I've checked, including the Center for Disease Control. Transmission by other means besides saliva is rare. [/quote] Perhaps your understanding of English is different than mine? In my world "Transmission by other means beside saliva is rare." is Not the same as "I was told the only way to contact rabies is from a bite..." We don't need to address the "In Michigan where I live, if a person is going to be exposed to rabies it is because of a bat, not any other animal." you've already corrected that one. I'm simply attempting to keep the record factual. Sun, 12 Feb 2012 08:14:51 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/50097?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1133311 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/50097?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1133311 Caracal I think the general rule is to get treatment within ten days. The only way to test for rabies is to dissect your brain, so they give you the shots just in case. A bat flew into me a little over a year ago, and the next day I noticed what appeared to be bite marks on my hand (which I had instinctively put in front of me.) I ended up having to go for the shots. I got two on the first day and three shots on three consecutive days after that. Now I'm fine (crippling phobia of rabies nonwithstanding.) Apparently I am now, like my pets, vaccinated against rabies (unless it's a big bite involving tons of saliva, which I'm pretty sure I'd notice, in which case I'd go get the necessary booster shots.) Mon, 13 Feb 2012 00:11:57 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/50097?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1134601 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/50097?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1134601 frenziedmythology Thanks. That helped a bit. Mon, 13 Feb 2012 01:51:20 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/50097?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1134836 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/50097?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1134836 sarahlea I think everyone has pretty much covered the basics. I just wanted to throw something else out there for you. http://site.jeannagiese.com/ This woman is the first person to contract full-blown rabies (as in she didn't get the shots) and survive. It's a remarkable story so I'd recommend checking out her site. She lives very close to me. Mon, 13 Feb 2012 04:57:13 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/50097?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1135560 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/50097?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1135560 frenziedmythology Thanks. I'll check that out! Mon, 13 Feb 2012 23:16:57 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/50097?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1137075 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/50097?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1137075