Rabies (cont.)
Medical Author:
Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD
Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhDDr. Charles "Pat" Davis, MD, PhD, is a board certified Emergency Medicine doctor who currently practices as a consultant and staff member for hospitals. He has a PhD in Microbiology (UT at Austin), and the MD (Univ. Texas Medical Branch, Galveston). He is a Clinical Professor (retired) in the Division of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and has been the Chief of Emergency Medicine at UT Medical Branch and at UTHSCSA with over 250 publications. Medical Editor:
Mary D. Nettleman, MD, MS, MACP
Mary D. Nettleman, MD, MS, MACPMary D. Nettleman, MD, MS, MACP is the Chair of the Department of Medicine at Michigan State University. She is a graduate of Vanderbilt Medical School, and completed her residency in Internal Medicine and a fellowship in Infectious Diseases at Indiana University. Medical Editor:
Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD
Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MDMelissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology. In this Article
 Should people get a preexposure vaccination before traveling outside the U.S.?The CDC suggests people consider preexposure vaccination for rabies if planned activity will bring you into contact with wild or domestic animals, for example if
What is the prognosis for people with rabies?People who are treated early and appropriately when exposed to rabies have an excellent prognosis. As stated previously, no one who has begun this treatment within 48 hours of exposure and has followed it appropriately has ever developed a fatal case of rabies in the U.S. Some individuals with a debilitated immune system (for example, HIV or cancer patients) may require additional treatment and monitoring. An infectious-disease consultant should be consulted to optimize treatment and prognosis. Although some investigators report some treatment success in patients treated beyond 48 hours, the longer the delay in treatment, the more likely the person will develop a fatal infection due to rabies virus. Unfortunately, untreated or inappropriately treated rabies is almost always fatal. Although heroic efforts have been attempted to save patients, success is very rare. Death usually occurs in about seven days from respiratory failure after the more severe rabies symptoms develop. REFERENCES: Reviewed by Mary D. Nettleman, MD, MS, MACP on 4/18/2012 Patient CommentsViewers share their comments |
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