Rabies is commonly caused from animal bites or other forms of contact. It is actually a viral neuro-invasive disease that affects the brain. The virus uses the body’s peripheral nerves to reach the brain. It is when this happens that symptoms of the disease begin to manifest. Once infected, unless immediate treatment is given, the person or animal cannot survive. |
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The period between the spread of the infection and the first symptoms to appear is usually around 2 to 12 weeks. The first symptom of rabies is like normal flu. However, the time for the infection to spread and the appearance of the first symptoms can be as long as 2 years in some cases. In the early stage, symptoms such as headache, fever, acute pain, uncontrollable excitement, and depression set in.
These symptoms then aggravate to take up more dangerous proportions like slight or partial paralysis, brain dysfunction, insomnia, hypertension, agitation, paranoia, hallucination, and also delirium. Soon there is an inability to speak or swallow owing to an excess of saliva production. This results in hydrophobia and the patient has difficulty swallowing. There is paralysis of the throat and jaws. There is a morbid fear of liquids and the patient cannot quench his or her thirst. This is when the disease has reached its worst stage. The period of mania in the mind, ultimately leads to a coma like state.
In such an unnatural state, the patient cannot survive long and death almost invariably results two to ten days after the appearance of the first symptoms. The main cause of death is lack of respiratory function, which occurs primarily due to the brain becoming affected. Of course, as mentioned earlier, death can be avoided with timely medical intervention.
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