Talk:Rabies

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Contents

[edit] Early 2004 comments

As stated in the "mosquito bat" article, bats eats a lot of mosquitos. As stated in the "rabies bat" article, there are numerous types of rabies viruses in bats. I thought that the article about rabies and bats would indicate that during the evolution of bats, the bats were infected by the rabies virus carried by mosquitos, and the bats developed a vaccine for rabies. Bats are carrier of rabies and that they are using the rabies as a biological defense against preditors.

I thought i'd read that David McRae didn't have rabies after all. However the BBC report says he died of it. Did they say it wasn't rabies and then change their mind again?

Mr Macrae did have rabies. The vaccine has to be given preventatively before the symptoms show up. The doctor who he went to see at Ninewells hospital in Dundee, diagnosed it immediately but it was already too late by then as the symptoms had started. They did hope that it was something else... -- Derek Ross

Hmm, seems like you die if you get a rabies shot:

Current vaccines are relatively painless and are given in your arm, like a flu or tetanus vaccine. Once the symptoms begin, rabies is almost invariably fatal, ...

Could someone fix this please?

You know, I don't read it the same way you do. I think it works. --Dante Alighieri

The change of the article to say that in unvaccinated humans, untreated rabies is almost always fatal implies that there have been unvaccinated, untreated survivors. I cannot say for certainty that this is not correct and it would be impossible to prove. However, given that there have been only a tiny number of survivors of rabies - only one that I am aware of - after the most intensive care that modern medicine has to offer, and he was horribly brain-damaged, I suspect that an untreated victim has no hope of survival. Can anyone quote me a case of an unvaccinated and untreated human rabies victim who has survived? If not, I think the article should go back to stating that untreated, unvaccinated rabies is thought to be uniformly fatal. That implies that while it might be possible, there are no known cases of survival.

Brian Rock 23:12, Mar 30, 2004 (UTC)

---

Two qualms...

'In vitro' appears to have been misused. Experimentally seems to have been meant. Am I correct?

'Only viruses to travel along nerves...' I seem to remember that at least one herpes type virus does something similar. Chicken pox (herpes zoster, if memory serves) goes dormant and reerupts along nerve tracts, but is then shingles, not chicken pox. And other herpes viruses can do something similar in re dormancy (eg, genital herpes, and I think the 'cold sore' herpes virus).

Does this any of this mean the comment in the article should be changed? ww 15:07, 7 Apr 2004 (UTC)

[edit] Accuracy question (Tekinia Corp)

I have removed the following paragraph from the end of the article:

"In August 2004 German Researchers at the pharmecutical company "Tekinia Corp" began experimenting with the Rabies virus to discover whether it could be used in biological warfare. Tekina Corp also announced that over a six year plan it would invest in the research of other viruses such as malaria and mad cow disease to observe whether they could possibly be used in a terrorist attack. The company has made no further comments or announced any findings."

It was added by an anonymous user 221.12.2.174 who at the same time inserted obvious vandalism elsewhere in the article. I have unsuccessfully tried to verify the factual statements. I get zero Google hits on the company name, which seems unlikely for a German pharmecutical company with the resources to do research on biological warfare, not to mention one announcing high-profile projects like this. If anyone has some information supporting what is said, please post it here. Alarm 12:05, 8 Sep 2004 (UTC)

[edit] A Cure?

I don't know if this is the right place to post this but rabbits are not from the rodentia family. This article explains that rodents can catch hydrophoby, yet it lists rabbits as a member of the family(rodentia), that cannot contract this disease. I'm not sure if this counts as a cure/treatment but it might be worth adding to the article. http://www.cnn.com/2004/HEALTH/11/24/rabies.ap/

Guess what: if you'd read the entry, you would have seen that it was already inserted! I think we'll now need to wait until the doctors publish which drugs they have used. JFW | T@lk 09:08, 15 Dec 2004 (UTC)

---

My aunt told me that rabies is present in the UK now, having being introduced by rats running through the chunnel. Can anyone confirm/refute this? Pakaran (ark a pan) 15:13, 22 Dec 2004 (UTC)

[edit] Breaking News

BREAKING NEWS: On 30 December 2004 Jeanna Giese of Wisconsin, aged 15, became the first ever human to survive bat rabies symptoms without absolutely ANY VACCINATION before or after the bite. She survived owing to an experimental treatment protocol of 3 antiviral drugs and deliberate placement into coma. She's not yet well, but supposed to be OK soon. The method is simple and the drugs are affordable, so this shall forever change rabies treatment worldwide. See: http://www.cnn.com/2005/HEALTH/01/01/rabies.survivor.ap/index.html

This protocol has since been tried in rabies-infested countries and it has never worked again, unfortunately. TechnoFaye Kane 19:55, 6 February 2008 (UTC)

Apparently the method did not get proper prior animal testing and some medical ethic guidelines were probably broken. Anyhow, USA is the country with a culture of risk-taking.

Medical Nobel Prize for the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin personnel seems as inevitable as death used to be after rabies symptoms set on?Pasteur died too early to be awarded the medal and now, after almost 110 years, it could be righted .

There have been five people previously who survived rabies symptoms, but every one of them had immunization before or after the bite.

---

So more on this, there appears to be a cure (anti-viral drugs and such), but it must be administered ASAP and is not very successful. Perhaps the first paragraph of Prevention could be changed accordingly. It should state that there is a cure, but it has only once been a success. That is unless Jeanna was not infected in the first place.

As far as the USA being a country of risk-taking, i would contest that. Americans are actually denied experimental treatments for considerable time until they can pass the FDA. The regime given was with FDA-approved drugs, but was a new regimen. So the regimen was experimental, but the drugs were not. I don't believe this qualifies the USA as a risk-taking country, except in terms of the risks of keeping potentially useful drugs off the market. --Kevin L'Huillier 03:55, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] 'euthanized' appropriate?

'Since there is no USDA-approved vaccine or quarantine period for skunks, pet skunks are frequently euthanized after accidentally biting a human.'

What is the modern understanding of 'euthanasia'?

the painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable disease or in an irreversible coma.

Compact Oxford English Dictionary

the act or practice of killing or permitting the death of hopelessly sick or injured individuals (as persons or domestic animals) in a relatively painless way for reasons of mercy

www.m-w.com

Perhaps historially it referred to an easy or painless death... now it seems more specific, if these entries are any indication.

What is appropriate? I think it should be something emotionally distant, without suggestion of moral judgement. I had tried 'terminated', but this was reverted. Am I making a deal of nothing?

--Withersoever 11:22, Jan 2, 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Euthanasia

I was the one who changed "terminated" to "euthanized" because the Webster's definition for "terminate" does not list an entry for a death whos purpose is for the ending of suffering. Although this is the one and only definition for the word "euthanasia".

Although I don't like the term "put down", it is in Webster's dictionary as "to do away with (as an injured, sick, or aged animal)".

Dismas

Terminated sounds a bit brutal to me, and euthanized seems very euphemised :) I changed it to 'put down', definitely the best choice of words and universally understood in British English. Wasn't sure if it would be similarly used in other forms of english - perhaps not. Worldtraveller 16:56, 2 Jan 2005 (UTC)


Euthanized is a good word. They use it as a more formal alternative to "put down" with pets. Euthanasia probably has different moral significance with most people when used for animals as opposed to people. raptor 12:17, 3 July 2006 (UTC)

First:

>>In unvaccinated humans, untreated rabies is almost invariably fatal.<<

This sentence does not make much sense. What is treatment? Cold-water pack on your forehead, two pills of placebo twice a day or post-bite vaccination? So I made it read more precise.

Second:

The news about Jeanna Giese must not be hidden inside the bulk of the article! I gave here one line right after the above quoted sentence.

It's hardly 'hidden' - any interested reader can find it, a section entitled 'recently publicised cases' is clear enough. You're right the first bit needed clarification though, I've also tweaked it a bit and hope it is clearer now. Worldtraveller 01:32, 3 Jan 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Tragedy in Germany: six transplants have rabies

Terrible tragedy looms in Germany: more recent news say all six transplants have rabies now. Added to the article. See: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4271453.stm

[edit] Mentioned in FoxTrot

This article was mentioned in a FoxTrot comic strip (the image) about Wikipedia today (May 7 2005), though it obviously didn't get the same attention that Warthog did as a result [1]. Just thought I'd mention it. --Phoenix-forgotten 17:52, 2005 May 7 (UTC)

[edit] Islands

"Many territories, such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hawaii, and Guam, are free of rabies"

Given that the United Kingdom is a nation spread across both Great Britain and part of Ireland, and that Ireland is an island, not a nation, this would be better off as "such as the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland..." or, alternatively, as ""such as Great Britain, Ireland...". Given the choice, and that it's a case of me being a little pedantic, I'd value a second opinion before changing it. Mullet 20:30, 5 August 2005 (UTC)

This isn't actually particularly simple. "Republic of Ireland" is only the official "description" of the state comprising 5/6s of the island of Ireland. The actual name of the state is Ireland (Éire).
I use the term state here rather than nation, as that is a separate matter (nations in that region generally mean England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland).
"Republic of Ireland" is less ambiguous, but rather more awkward a title than "Ireland".
Wikipedia has extensive detail on the history behind all this and the naming issues at the articles Ireland, Éire, Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom, Home Nations. Happy reading.
Just to make this comment more relevant to the article, I wonder should we mention in the introduction paragraph the areas of the world where rabies is not present - or at least that it's present in much/most of the world?
zoney ♣ talk 21:30, 24 September 2005 (UTC)

--OrbitOne [Talk|Babel] 05:49, 1 November 2006 (UTC)== Contradiction ==

In November 2004, Jeanna Giese, a 15-year old girl from Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, became one of only six people known to have survived rabies after the onset of symptoms. All of the other five received vaccination before symptoms developed.

It says "six people known to have survived rabies after the onset of symptoms", then it says "all of the other five received vaccination before symptoms developed". Did they have the onset of symptoms or not, or did they receive the vaccine then symtoms developed despite having the vaccine? It is very vague. --ShaunMacPherson 07:08, 8 August 2005 (UTC)

Jeanna Giese: bite, symptoms, vaccine, survival.
other five: bite, vaccine, symptoms, survival. - Nunh-huh 07:11, 8 August 2005 (UTC)
Did Jeanna receive vaccines? I thought she was given antiviral medication. --OrbitOne [Talk|Babel] 05:49, 1 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Hydrophobia

Why is rabies also called Hydrophobia? Doesn't that mean 'fear of water'?

This explanation from the Merck Manual states the following: "The spasms can be excruciatingly painful. A slight breeze or an attempt to drink water can trigger the spasms. Thus, a person with rabies cannot drink. For this reason, the disease is sometimes called hydrophobia (fear of water)." --Arcadian 21:10, 14 January 2006 (UTC)
Actually, a person can develop the spasms (which can cut off breathing) upon just thinking about drinking--as a sort of conditioned reflex. What hastens this is excessive salivation and inability to swallow it. This is why rabid animals may foam at the mouth. Myron 23:57, 14 January 2006 (UTC)

The actual mention of the word 'hydrophobia' in the article seems to be wrong. It implies that 'The production of large quantities of saliva and tears coupled with an inability to speak or swallow are typical during the later stages of the disease' is hydrophobia. Any reasons why I am wrong? Zetetic Apparatchik 18:09, 8 June 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Increased Strength? Violent?

Three questions. Is it true that rabies gives the victim bursts of increased strength? Next, why does rabies turn the animal violent? And finally, is it known for humans to suffer from these violent outbursts as seen in other animals (for example do they bite other people)?

I had inserted a small excerpt in the beaver under Beaver Attacks. Rabies appears to embolden, thusly appears to make, the infected host to be stronger, to lunge after other animals/humans. Egberts 09:21, 8 March 2006 (UTC)
It doesn't increase muscle mass, so it cannot make someone who is infected stronger. It will only make them more aggressive. It is a psychological impression of someone else being stronger than before when you see them be more agressive against others. --OrbitOne [Talk|Babel] 05:46, 1 November 2006 (UTC)
"why does rabies turn the animal violent?" Because the virus takes over and hyperstimulates the panic/fear center of the brain, insuring that the terrified animal will bite anything it sees, including inanimate objects. Upon autopsy, rabid animals often have a bizarre collection of such objects in their stomachs which have been attacked, bitten, and swallowed. In man, rabies also induces unspeakably terrifying hallucinations, so you can imagine what the animals experience. It also collects in the saliva, which is it's transmission mode (animal bites), and causes hypersalivation. See the ecological niche going on? This info is from the pretty-much definitive 1986 medical book "Rabies: The Facts", which I HIGHLY recommend. Also from there:
"is it known for humans to suffer from these violent outbursts as seen in other animals?" Yes, absolutely. It makes people behave much like the "Rage Virus" in the movie 28 Days Later. In humans, rabies causes extreme paranoia, fear, hallucinations, and rage. It is standard practice to either sedate the patient into unconsciousness or tie the patient to the bed to prevent them from smashing things and attacking people, including biting them. See the youtube video of a little boy tied to a bed as he thrashes and screams in terror (link at bottom of rabies article). It'll give you nightmares, literally. So will the book "Rabies: The Facts". It almost made me want to shoot my dog just to be safe! TechnoFaye Kane 19:39, 6 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Detection & Questions about Incident

Is there a way to tell if a cat has rabies, so that I can not be afraid of approaching that animal? In other words, are there cases where a cat would not show the typical signs of having rabies (agression, drooling, rabid), but still have it? Perhaps in the very early stage of it getting the virus (or maybe even during vaccination)? Also, if a cat is vaccinated, thus showing no signs of having rabies; if you are scratched/bitten by the cat, would you still get rabies? I was recently playing with this neighbourhood cat, (it had a collar and seemed to be either currently domesticated, or WAS domesticated but escaped and is now feral); however, that doesn't really matter, since the cat could STILL have rabies. The cat showed no signs of having rabies (typical signs); I am unaware of other symptoms, so I'm unsure... The cat had accidentally scratched me very slightly; and it was only later that I noticed the skin had a trace amount of blood; as tiny as a paper cut. I'm thinking a scratch of that small magnitude can still deliver rabies? Also, the cat has a habit of taking hold of your hand, and giving it a gentle "gnaw" or bite; sort of in a playful manner. I don't believe any blood was drawn, but some skin was scratched; similar to when a person scratches his own hand with his nails; not enough to draw blood, but still a scratch... Again it was until later had I noticed this, so IF blood was drawn, it may have already healed/been washed off. Based on what I've seen; and the little I know about this particular cat or rabies-symptoms in general, I'm thinking the cat may STILL have rabies (albeit there are no symptoms), and am afraid that his playful bite/gnawing or accidental scratch may have transfered rabies to me. I am also worried about other diseases like cat scratch fever, etc.—Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.23.6.222 (talk)

[edit] exceptionally aggressive

Why does Rabies cause infected animals to be exceptionally aggressive? --Abdull 10:05, 21 May 2006 (UTC)

Good question. Presumably because of some combination of pain and confusion caused by delirium? Gzuckier 13:49, 22 May 2006 (UTC)
According to The Textbook of Veterinary Internal Medicine, the second stage of clinical rabies in dogs is the excitative stage. Dogs become hypersensitive to external stimuli and react by biting at anything or anyone close to them. This is known as furious rabies. Wild animals with rabies actually lose their natural inhibition of approaching humans, and may appear more friendly than normal. --Joelmills 01:18, 23 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Update- there WAS one human death from raccoon rabies strain.

In Nov 2003 there was one confirmed human death in Virginia and the article is mirrored on CDC's website[2]. A second source from this year [3] states that this was the only one. I changed the sentence that said there were no cases, but I only cited the sources embedded. I don't know how to do footnotes.JeffStickney 01:44, 1 July 2006 (UTC)

I went ahead and footnoted it. --Joelmills 03:43, 1 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Dormant Rabies Transmission

I wonder whether rabies can be transmitted when the it is still dormant in the infected animal without any symptons. Suppose a cat is bitten by a rabid dog and is thus infected, how soon the bite of the cat be infectious as well? Immediately? After a couple of hours? Or only after symptons begin to show? I can't find this in the article.

The answer to this is a little more clear in Dog health#Diseases and ailments. A dog or cat with rabies is not infectious until a few days before symptoms appear. It can take months for symptoms to appear after being bitten by a rabid animal. The general rule is that the further away from the brain the bite occurs, the longer it will take to show symptoms. --Joelmills 19:46, 5 September 2006 (UTC)
Does this mean that if someone is bitten by a dog or cat, and the dog or cat does not show any symptom after one or two weeks, the person is free of rabies?
Yes, 10 days is the legal requirement for impoundment of the animal here in Illinois. --Joelmills 02:15, 16 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Rabies vaccine?

How much does a rabies vaccine cost?Doesn't the government pay for it?

If you were going on holiday and were getting a vaccine so you could go safly, that costs. But I would expect if you got a bite from a animal acting strange I think it would be free. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.179.89.173 (talk) 20:29, 17 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Post-exposure prophylaxis

The distinction between immunoglobulin and vaccine wasn't clear to me, so I added a sentence explaining how the immunoglobulin is administered (1/2 at the site of the bite if possible and 1/2 and a distant site). I think it's also important to point out that immunoglobulin should not be administered to persons who've received pre-esposure vaccination.

I moved the mention of washing the wound to the beginning of the discussion because to emphasize the importance of this.

The mention of domestic animal vaccination was added because that is just as important if not more important at decreasing the death rate of rabies as is post-exposure prophylaxis.

Loupe 21:49, 11 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Ecological effect

Missing in this article is description of any ecological impact of rabies. An unreliable source just told me that a recent racoon rabies epizootic in northeast Pennsylvania has decimated the racoon population resulting in marked increase in wild turkeys (whose eggs are eaten by racoons). Was there actually an upsurge in racoon infection and did this significantly affect the population in a manner at all comparable to the impact of canine distemper? Myron 10:37, 23 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Non human animals

Great article, however its rather ironic that in the Transmission by bite section, it says "non-human animals". Yes, I know we are animals, but isn't it rather ironic to say this? Bhaveer 21:47, 30 October 2006 (UTC)

I don't see any irony in that statement 64.236.245.243 15:46, 21 November 2006 (UTC)

I second the sentiment, all the references to non-humans in place of animals or "human hunters" is just wierd. Is there any chance this could be fixed?

I'd say it is making an important distinction, since we also talk about the virus's effects on all mammals, including humans. So we need to make it clear when you are talking about animals, including humans, and when you are talking about animals, excluding animals. 86.139.237.132 22:25, 5 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Image of Man Infected

Does anybody else feel scared after looking at the image of the man infected with rabies? --Faraz Parsa 02:20, 1 December 2006 (UTC) -Reminds me of something out of 28 Days Later

[edit] Transmission other than bite

On the Australian bat lyssavirus Wiki, it says "ABLV has caused two human deaths. The first occurred in November 1996 when an animal carer was scratched [which I assume pierced the flesh] by a yellow-bellied sheathtailed bat." is this only related to the ABLV, or can all strands of Lyssavirus be transmitted though scratches? RooZ 18:24, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

Virtually all cases of human rabies are acquired by a bite. But there are rare cases after scratches, abrasions or the licking of open wounds. Human rabies has also been documented after respiratory exposure in a cave with rabid bats in Texas, presumably from aerosolized saliva. And persons have been infected by accidentally aerosolized virus in research laboratories. Loupe 21:03, 24 January 2007 (UTC)
As well as organ transplants. cyclosarin 11:25, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Rash of Vandalism

Anyone have any idea why this article is being vandalized so frequently? no DrGaellon 21:25, 19 December 2006 (UTC)


Can you point out the vandalism? Having read the entire article, I now wonder what is true and what is false...209.83.47.123 22:44, 27 December 2006 (UTC)
How long was "MONKEY!" sitting in the first line? cyclosarin 09:09, 29 January 2007 (UTC) I REPLACED THE WORD UNBEKNOWNCED CECAUSE IT IS A DUMB WORD

[edit] Rabies in the United States

Domestic animals constitute only 8% of rabies cases, but are increasing at a rapid rate.[9]

Actually, the incidence of rabies in domestic animals in the US has been fairly constant since about 1985. For example, in 2005, domestic animals accounted for 7.7% of all cases, a 9.2% decrease from the total reported in 2004. Also, the reference (9) for this statement is out of date (1996). I suggest changing to: "Domestic animals constitute approximately 8% of rabies cases"

Ref: Blanton JD, Krebs JW, Hanlon CA, Rupprecht CE. (2005) Rabies surveillance in the United States during 2005. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2006 Dec 15;229(12):1897-911. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=citation&list_uids=17173527&query_hl=1&itool=pubmed_docsum

Loupe 19:58, 24 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] How many people die?

We only get numbers for India, how many die a year in the U.S.? I am guessing less than dozen but there are no clear answers. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 209.206.165.1 (talk) 04:26, 27 January 2007 (UTC).

There are usually 1-2 human cases per year in the US. In 2005 there was one death (Mississippi). Loupe 18:13, 29 January 2007 (UTC)
India is a far more significant country due to the massive incidence of Rabies. cyclosarin 11:28, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Human vacination

Where is the information on human vaccination?--Gbleem 09:19, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Suggested change to the article

Having read through this article, I was a bit puzzled by the implied severity of the consequences to Pasteur's actions:

 "Had the vaccine not worked, Pasteur, who was not a doctor, would have been face a murder charge, but the boy survived."

It seemed odd to me that Pasteur would certainly face murder charges for attempting to save a boy's life. I decided to do some limited online research and have not found any other sources which reliably indicate that this was a serious possibility. This reference [4] does indicate that Pasteur had personal reservations to doing so since the vaccine had not undergone full human testing (note also that this reference says Joseph was *not* the first human to receive the vaccine, contrary to what Wikipedia says).

The one reference I found which does mention a possible criminal charge is [5], but this appears to be a book for young adults and I wonder whether it sensationalized the possible charges against Pasteur?

In any event, it seems that that sentence ought to be toned down in severity, perhaps:

Had the vaccine not worked, Pasteur could have faced murder charges for having administered a vaccine
which had not been fully tested on humans.

The fact that Pasteur "was not a doctor" does not seem to be a strong reason for Pasteur's reluctance to use the vaccine on the boy. --Marciot 01:30, 20 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Rabies in cats

Recent attack made by a cat on a human resulted in the cat being strangled to death. Just a point of interest: http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/i-was-bleeding-all-over/2007/06/21/1182019235640.html

[edit] Single notable exception

Any mammal may become infected with the rabies virus and develop symptoms, including humans.

Hyenas may become infected with rabies and spread it, but they never develop symptoms. They are immune to its effects, and make a poor vector for it.

--76.223.219.98 06:05, 12 August 2007 (UTC)

Very interesting - but where and how did you discover this? If it can be backed with a credible reference it should go in the body of the article. Cheers, John Hill 06:48, 12 August 2007 (UTC)
A citation for the hyena information is: East ML, et al. Regular exposure to rabies virus and lack of symptomatic disease in Serengeti spotted hyenas. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2001 Dec 18;98(26):15026-31. This journal may be available free. If not, I'm sure there's a pubmed reference for the abstract.Loupe 18:44, 14 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] "In popular culture"

So, like, is the plan to find every reference to rabies in popular culture and list it here? Seems to me there should be some limiting factor. For example, how important is it that a single, otherwise unexceptional, episode of a television show had a rabies plot? The list is pretty useless. --jpgordon∇∆∇∆ 15:27, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

I concur. I've removed the entire section as running afoul of WP:TRIVIA - as far as I can tell, only the Old Yeller (and, possibly, the Cujo) references have even a hope of being integrated into the main article (and even that is doubtful, IMHO); the rest are simply "rabies was mentioned in X once". -- MarcoTolo 17:44, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] "Rabies in popular culture" section, part 2

Since I'm expecting some folks to object to the removal of this section, I'm annotating the list to justify my reasoning.

  • Cujo, a Stephen King novel (and film) about a mother and son being terrorized by a rabid dog.
  • Old Yeller, a novel and film that involves a frontier dog becoming infected by a rabid wolf.
These two are possibly relevant in a reconstituted "Cultural depictions of rabies" section.
  • Rage, a 1966 film in which an alcoholic doctor (Glenn Ford) suffers a rabies infection in a Mexican village and must race across the desert, and against time, for the needed antidote that will save his life.
Could be mentioned as an example of rabies representations in the movies (though that would make more sense if we had an article on it).

* Scrubs Season 5 Episode 20 (My Lunch) about 3 transplant patients who receive organs from a donor believed to have died of a cocaine overdose and subsequently found to have rabies, in a story reminiscent of the real-life Texarkana donor described above.

A patient on a TV show has rabies. "Giant who cares?" (progeram reference intentional)
  • House Season 1 Episode 10 (Histories) about a homeless woman suffering from rabies.
See previous.

* ER Season 13 Episode 8 (Reason to Believe) about a homeless kid, who after an encounter with a bat suffers from a rabies infection.

See previous.

* Diff'rent Strokes, in one episode, Arnold was bitten by a dog, and he, Willis, Mr. Drummond and Kimberly are concerned the dog may have had rabies, which would put Arnold at a risk of possible death, or at least a series of shots...in the stomach.

Again, see previous.

* Rant, a novel by Chuck Palahniuk, in which the main character, Buster "Rant" Casey, carries a form of rabies that begins a massive epidemic.

As above, but in novel form.

* Smonk, a novel by Tom Franklin, about a turn of the century town in the deep South infected with rabies and acting in a cult-like manner revering the rabies.

As above.

* Bonanza, a friend of the Cartwright's is bitten by a rabid wolf and spends most of her last days at the Ponderosa.* Seinfeld, in one episode Elaine is bitten on the leg by a dog. She later fears that she has contracted rabies. Her fear leads her to suffer from hypochondrical symptoms such as irritability, inability to swallow, and foaming at the mouth.

Elaine thinks she has rabies. Everyone laughs. And?

* Lake of Fire, a song by the Meat Puppets and covered by Nirvana, talks of "a lady who came from Duluth" who was "bitten by a dog with a rabid tooth". She "went to her grave just a little too soon, flew and lay down on the yellow moon."

Random passing reference to rabies in a song.

* To Kill a Mockingbird, a book written by author Harper Lee in 1960, contains a passage in which a rabid dog is seen near the home of the protagonist, Scout Finch. Her father, Atticus, shoots and kills the infected dog.

Classic, award-winning novel - but minor plot point.

* The novel Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston features an important incident where a character contracts rabies from a dog.

Another classic of American literature - but, again, not the primary theme of the book.

* Rabies, an album by Skinny Puppy.

Again, a minor reference to the disease.
Elaine Harold thinks she has rabies. Everyone laughs. And?
  • The Summer Garden by Paullina Simons. Interspersed throughout the novel is a sidestory, in which, a young girl contracts rabies from sleeping in a cave heavily infected with bat saliva-particles in the air.
It's a side-story.

-- MarcoTolo 17:58, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Can the Virginia Opossum transmit rabies?

The Virginia Opossum is a Marsupial, but still it is a Mammal, so can it become infected? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 129.252.89.201 (talk) 18:51, August 30, 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Useful source

PMID 12491203 seems to be a useful source for any clinical updates. JFW | T@lk 09:26, 4 September 2007 (UTC)

Please check if PMID 12491203 is the intented article with a publication date - 2003- if yes, this article cannot be a clinical update as it was written before the induced coma treatment survivor case. --Znuwin 15:22, 5 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Out of date map?

The world map in the 'Prevalence' section shows East Germany and West Germany. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Bob31415 (talk • contribs) 18:27, 8 September 2007 (UTC)

Also, several rabies-free countries are not marked as such in the map. 130.234.198.85 (talk) 19:19, 27 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] 3 or 6 survivors?

There seems to be disagreement, and contradiction on the reference page cited very first. The directly cited article says that there were only three survivors of symptomatic rabies, and then the later case study linked to from that page says explicitly that there were five before Jeanne, and that would make six survivors. Do we have another reference to resolve this contradiction?

[edit] could i have rabies?

i just got bitten by my kitten. He is an outdoor cat and not vaccinated —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.218.246.100 (talk) 02:56, 2 October 2007 (UTC)

If you were paying attention while reading the article, it would say that once we would actually know for sure that you have rabies, that there's nothing we could do for you. Please call a medical health line, or talk to a nurse/doctor. They will probably recommend a PEP shot regardless of if the kitten has rabies or not. You could also take your kitten in and have it tested for rabies, which would tell you if you need a PEP shot yourself, or if it could be safely ignored. As a general rule though, I (I am not a nurse/doctor) would say, since the only way to treat rabies is to have the vaccine beat it to the brain, then if there is any doubt that you might have rabies, get a PEP shot. It's probably better to be safe, than dead. --Puellanivis 15:34, 2 October 2007 (UTC)
I wasn't going to respond to this originally because I don't think we should be giving medical advice. However, the above comment is a little extreme and would really only be necessary in the event of being bitten by a stray or wild animal. Laws regarding bite wounds vary depending on your location and the prevalence of rabies there, and at the very least the kitten should be examined by a vet now and in ten days (testing the kitten would result in its death). Consult with a doctor and do what they tell you. --Joelmills 15:49, 2 October 2007 (UTC)

You got bitten by your kitten Oh boo hoo you should see my arms get lassarated 24/7 because my kitten wants milk. Also last time I checked I wasn't dying of rabies and neither was my cat. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.179.89.173 (talk) 20:37, 17 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Copyright violation?

The Differential Diagnosis section is ripped almost word for word from Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine. 121.209.21.193 06:58, 20 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] image:Rabies virus longitudinal.svg

Rabies virus longitudinal.jpg

old JPG

my SVG

Can someone please check this SVGified version of the JPG currently in use for mistakes? I am no expert in virology and thus might have interpreted the image wrong. Especially that ribonucleoprotein-string is pretty weird in the JPG. Furthermore I don't know whether there are any color- or shape-conventions for virus-schematics I broke. I will do the other crossection soon, if this one is okay. By the way, should I rather use numbers instead of text for the labels, so that Wikipedians of other languages do not need to make alternate versions of the image? Thanks in advance, 87.123.219.150 (talk) 13:31, 31 December 2007 (UTC)

[edit] History?

There seems to be little material on the history of prevention and treatment of rabies. Given the effect on human history, it seems to be worth a section.

[edit] Prevalence

Why does the section on rabies in the United States take up the bulk of the section when they have only a handful of new infections each year and places such as India have tens of thousands?

Also there seem to be inconsistencies in the "rabies-free zone" descriptions, I have read that Australia is considered rabies-free in spite of ABLV, while it states that the UK is not rabies free because of another lyssavirus. cyclosarin (talk) 08:33, 27 May 2008 (UTC)