The Mayo Clinic reports that rabies leads to 50,000 human deaths (mostly in Africa and Asia) each year on a global scale. Rabies is described as a deadly virus that causes the inflammation of the brain and spinal cord in dogs, cats, humans, and other mammals (i.e., coyotes, skunks, and raccoons). The rabies virus is transmitted via saliva from an infected person or animal. Although rabies is preventable

Rabies is considered a preventable disease, however once the onset of symptoms appear, the disease will inevitably cause death. In humans, rabies is 100% preventable by seeking immediate emergency medical care after suffering an animal bite. The virus can also be controlled in dogs, cats, and other pets by keeping rabies vaccinations up-to-date, by keeping housepets away from wild animals (i.e., bats, raccoons, skunks, etc.), and by calling animal control to remove unvaccinated or ill strays or wild animals. Here’s a few need-to know facts about rabies:

1. How is rabies transmitted by animals
Infected animals transmit the virus via saliva, typically through animal bites, although scratches and saliva contact through an open wound can also provide a pathway for rabies viral transmission. Most housepets develop rabies after contact with an infected wild animal. For instance, the SPCA indicates that unvaccinated, outdoor cats tend to be the most at risk.

2. Telltale rabies symptoms in animals
We tend to associate animals infected by the rabies virus to Stephen King’s fictional St. Bernard, Cujo, who transforms from loving pet to dangerous beast on a killer rampage. While in reality, animals infected by rabies suffer the following sudden behavioral changes:

• Irritability
• Fever
• Aggression (i.e., biting, snapping, or attacking)
• Docility
• Sensitive to light, sound, and touch
• Apprehension around loved ones
• Restlessness
• Tendency to hide away
• Excess licking or chewing at bite site

As the rabie virus takes root, the animal may show signs of:

• Loss of appetite
• Weakness or paralysis, particularly in the hind legs
  Incoordination and mobility issues
• Confusion
• Stiffness or total paralysis in the jaw
• Foaming at the mouth
• Sudden tatality

3. Rabies symptoms in humans
Rabies in humans may take between 2 weeks to many months after exposure to display the following symptoms:

• Fear of water (hydrophobia)
• Panicked
• Have troubles swallowing
• Insomnia
• Partial paralysis
• Anxiety and severe agitation
• Abnormal confusion and/or paranoia or delirium
• Hallucinations
• Coma
• Death within 10 days of initial symptoms