What are the symptoms of rabies?
Rabies causes fatal inflammation of the brain or spinal cord. Symptoms most often develop about 10 days to seven months after infection, and death follows 2-12 days after symptoms appear. Early symptoms in humans include pain, burning, and numbness at the site of infection. Victims complain of headaches, inability to sleep, irritability, muscle spasms of the throat and difficulty swallowing. Convulsions may occur, followed by unconsciousness and death. Rabies is often referred to as hydrophobia because victims fear swallowing. Drinking or eating can bring on muscle spasms of the throat. The fear of swallowing also accounts for saliva accumulation referred to as “foaming” at the mouth. Infected animals may be either agitated and aggressive or paralyzed and passive. Dogs, cats, and other carnivores often become aggressive and try to attack humans and other animals, but bats are typically passive.
Rabies causes fatal inflammation of the brain or spinal cord. Symptoms most often develop about 10 days to seven months after infection, and death follows 2-12 days after symptoms appear. Early symptoms in humans include pain, burning, and numbness at the site of infection. Victims complain of headaches, inability to sleep, irritability, muscle spasms of the throat and difficulty swallowing. Convulsions may occur, followed by unconsciousness and death. Rabies is often referred to as hydrophobia because victims fear swallowing. Drinking or eating can bring on muscle spasms of the throat. The fear of swallowing also accounts for saliva accumulation referred to as “foaming” at the mouth. Infected animals may be either agitated and aggressive or paralyzed and passive. Dogs, cats, and other carnivores often become aggressive and try to attack humans and other animals, but bats are typically passive. Bats normally bite only in self-defense if handled, and aggressive behavior is rare even whe
