Rabies Research Paper

Rabies is an RNA virus and is almost always fatal. This disease is spread via saliva of an infected animal, usually from a bite. Rabies has five main stages. The first stage is incubation period, second is prodrome, third is acute neurologic period, fourth is coma, and fifth is death. The incubation period can last from days to even years. Prodrome is when the symptoms begin, and those are flu-like. The third stage is when the symptoms start to worsen and become neurological. Those symptoms include: hyperactivity, paralysis, excess salivation, hallucinations, and nightmares. When the virus enters the nervous system, it makes acute inflammation of the brain, which causes the fourth and fifth stage. Doctors will suggest going straight to treatment because there’s no way of truly knowing that a person has the virus after being bitten by a wild animal.
There is no true treatment for rabies, but doctors will prescribe a series of shots to stop it from infecting the person, as soon as the bite is received. Doctors believe it’s safest to start treatment because this virus is deadly. Luckily, there are many ways to lessen the chance of getting rabies. Those include: getting a vaccination before travelling, vaccinating pets and keeping them confined, reporting stray animals, and not approaching any wild animals. Washing the wound is also recommended because if a person washes it for 15 minutes with soapy water, it can minimize the amount of viral