A heartbreaking case from southern Mexico is a reminder of how dangerous rabies is. In early December 2022, three young siblings from a remote mountain village in Oaxaca were bitten by bats. According to news reports, the children weren’t taken to a hospital until weeks later, in part because of the family’s limited means. A 7-year-old boy died in late December, and his 8-year-old sister died about a week later after being diagnosed with rabies. Their 2-year-old sister was treated and released.
Rabies is almost always fatal once symptoms begin. But it is also almost entirely preventable with prompt care after an exposure. Here’s what everyone should know.
What is rabies?
Rabies is a viral disease that attacks the nervous system. It spreads through the saliva of infected animals, usually through a bite or scratch. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), dogs cause the vast majority of human rabies cases worldwide. In the United States, where pet dogs are widely vaccinated, bats are the leading source of human cases. Other wild animals, such as raccoons, skunks and foxes, can also carry the virus.
Why rabies is so dangerous
After a bite, the virus travels slowly along nerves toward the brain. This incubation period is often weeks to months, and during this time a person usually feels fine. That window is when treatment works.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), early symptoms can resemble the flu: fever, weakness and discomfort, sometimes with tingling or itching at the bite site. Once the virus reaches the brain, symptoms progress to confusion, agitation, anxiety, hallucinations and difficulty swallowing. At that stage, there is almost no effective treatment.
Rabies in the United States
Human rabies is rare in the U.S., with only about 1 to 3 cases reported each year, according to the CDC. Animal vaccination and control programs have driven deaths down dramatically over the past century. Many of the U.S. cases in recent years have been linked to bats, and some were acquired abroad.
Bats deserve special caution
Bat bites can be tiny and easy to miss. That’s why health officials advise seeking medical advice if you wake up to find a bat in your room, or if a bat is found near a child, a sleeping person or someone who can’t reliably say whether they were bitten. Don’t touch or handle bats with bare hands.
What this means for you
If you or your child is bitten or scratched by an animal that could carry rabies:
- Wash the wound right away. Scrub it thoroughly with soap and water for about 15 minutes. This alone lowers the risk of infection.
- Get medical care promptly. A doctor will decide whether you need post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), which is a series of rabies vaccines and, for people not previously vaccinated, an injection of rabies immune globulin.
- Don’t wait for symptoms. PEP works when given before symptoms appear. Once symptoms start, it’s too late.
- Report the bite. Your local health department or animal control can help determine whether the animal needs to be observed or tested.
- Vaccinate your pets. Keeping dogs, cats and ferrets up to date on rabies shots protects your family.
- Ask about pre-travel vaccines. If you’ll be in an area where rabies is common, or working with animals, talk to a travel clinic about pre-exposure vaccination.
The bottom line
Rabies is nearly always deadly once symptoms appear, but it’s preventable. Cleaning the wound and getting prompt medical care after any potential exposure, especially to a bat, can save a life.
This article is for general information and isn’t medical advice. Talk with your healthcare provider about your individual needs.
