Rabies Symptoms :: Medical Disease

Rabies Symptoms Rabies is an extremely old disease. Some speculate that it is as old as humankind itself. Rabies belongs to a family of viruses called lyssa. Lyssa is the Greek word for rabies, which is derived from the root â€Å"lud†, which means violent. The first case of rabies was described in the 23rd century BC in the Eshuma Code of Babylon. Generally, the virus is transmitted to humans by other animals or humans who are already infected. Rabies is an extremely deadly disease, and if left untreated, it has a mortality rate greater than 99 percent. In fact, there has only been one documented case of a human that has survived this deadly disease. The course that the disease takes is often violent. (fas) Picture a dog coming down the street, madly dashing this way and that with no apparent goal other than biting anything and everything. Everything about this dog has changed. He no longer remembers his friends, and he no longer wishes o eat or drink, in fact he is hydrophobic. This lack of nutrients brings an end to the dog’s yelps of pain after a few hours or days. The cries become weak and harsh, fatigue sets in, and the animal seizes and eventually dies. This series of events is commonly known as â€Å"mad dog†. (Webster 3) The term â€Å"mad dog† may be more familiar to most people than the term â€Å"rabies† is, but they mean the same thing. The disease is usually, but not always, transmitted to humans by a bite. As the disease progresses, the sanity of the affected animal or human gradually deteriorates. By the time an individual displays the symptoms described, it has already lost its battle with the rabies virus. Rabies is a disease that must be caught as early as possible; the longer it takes to diagnose, the less chance of survival there is. The earliest sign of infection is a change in disposition. The victim may develop a troubled or 1 distracted look, which is followed by lack of desire to recognize or be friendly with others. However, in other cases an individual may become more gentle and friendly. (Webster 4-5) There are two general forms of rabies; furious rabies and dumb rabies. Frequencies of furious and dumb rabies are approximately equal in both the laboratory and in the field. Furious rabies is the more stereotypic form of rabies. Individuals often wander about, followed by signs of excessive excitability or irritability.