Ever wonder why people are so afraid of the rabies virus? Is it even that scary? The answer is yes, rabies is scary but not for the reason people think. I decided to conduct an informal (and I do mean informal) survey where I asked my roommates how many human rabies deaths they thought there were per year in the Unites States. Anywhere between 218 to 3,000 were their responses. Therein lies the misconception. According to the CDC, the U.S. only has 1 to 3 cases reported annually. With vaccination of dogs, outreach programs and modern rabies medicine, we have seen a steady decline in rabies deaths since the 1970s.
So if the rabies virus is not that prevalent in the U.S., then why is it so scary? It is because rabies causes you to basically turn into a real life zombie. Yes, a zombie. The signs and symptoms of rabies are fever, excessive movements, foaming of the mouth, confusion and hallucinations to name a few. Those infected with rabies are also usually aggressively trying to bite another person. I do not know about you, but almost every zombie film I have seen shows an infected person aggressively chasing someone trying to bite/eat them. If you are bitten or scratched by an infected animal and do not seek medical care, then you will be in serious trouble because rabies is almost always fatal once symptoms start to appear.
While human rabies deaths are rare in the U.S., the same cannot be said for places where stray, unvaccinated dogs are found in high concentrations. For example, the NCBI recorded that India has around 25,000 to 30,000 deaths per year from rabies. This is a big difference when compared to the number of deaths reported annually in the U.S. It really boils down to vaccination. The CDC indicates scientists have shown that once 70% of dogs are vaccinated, rabies can be controlled in a given area and human deaths can be prevented. This leads me to my final take-away thought: rabies is a preventable disease! Just make sure to seek medical attention immediately if you are bitten or scratched by a stray animal.
The Fascination with Vaccination 