Rabies

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Central nervous system

Rabies

Clean the wound well with soap and water, and seek professional medical help. Thorough cleaning and removal of foreign objects (debridement) from the wound is needed. This requires a doctor's care. Most of the time, stitches should not be used for animal bite wounds.

If there is any risk of rabies, you will be given a preventative vaccine.

If immunization is given within 2 days of the bite, rabies is usually prevented. To date, no one in the U.S. has yet developed rabies when given the vaccine promptly and appropriately.

Once the symptoms appear, few people survive the disease. Death from respiratory failure usually occurs within 7 days after symptoms start.

Untreated, rabies can lead to coma and death.

In rare cases, some people may have an allergic reaction to the rabies vaccine.

Go to the emergency room or call the local emergency number (such as 911) if an animal bites you.

Review Date: 01/06/2006
Reviewed By: Monica Gandhi MD, MPH, Assistant Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases, UCSF, San Francisco, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.