• What is rabies?
• What are rabies symptoms?
• What animals are most often infected with rabies in the
  United States?
• What domestic animals are most often infected in the
  United States?
• Where in the United States is rabies found?
• What types of exposure are considered risks for rabies?
• What should be done if someone has been bitten by a
  rabid animal, or an animal that might be infected?
• Why is it so important to get medical treatment immediately
  after exposure?

Rabies is a virus that attacks the brain and nervous system. It is transmitted from animal to animal and from animal to human. If left untreated in humans and animals, rabies is fatal.

Source: Plotkin SA, Rupprecht CE, Koprowski H. Rabies vaccine. In: Plotkin SA, Orenstein WA, eds. Vaccines. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, PA: WB Saunders Co; 1999:743-766.

Without immediate medical attention, rabies symptoms usually appear within 20 to 60 days. The symptoms include loss of consciousness, fever, headache, anxiety, insomnia, and hypersalivation (foaming at the mouth). Once a person begins experiencing these symptoms, death usually follows.

Source: Plotkin SA, Rupprecht CE, Koprowski H. Rabies vaccine. In: Plotkin SA, Orenstein WA, eds. Vaccines. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, PA: WB Saunders Co; 1999:743-766.

Skunks, raccoons, foxes, and bats are among the wildlife most infected. However, animals may vary according to region; contact your state health department for information on your area.

Source: Rosenthal KE, Thornton GF. The 10 most common questions about rabies. Infect Dis Clin Pract. 1993;3:44-48.

In the United States, cats are infected more often than dogs, even though dogs are the greatest carriers around the world.

Source: Rosenthal KE, Thornton GF. The 10 most common questions about rabies. Infect Dis Clin Pract. 1993;3:44-48.

Rabies cases in animals have been reported in 49 states. Only Hawaii is rabies free.

Source: Rosenthal KE, Thornton GF. The 10 most common questions about rabies. Infect Dis Clin Pract. 1993;3:44-48.

Bites, scratches, and contact with saliva are considered ways to become infected with rabies. There are also nonbite exposures, such as when people are exposed to the airborne rabies virus in laboratories or bat-infested caves.

Source: Rosenthal KE, Thornton GF. The 10 most common questions about rabies. Infect Dis Clin Pract. 1993;3:44-48.

Immediately wash the wound area thoroughly with soap and water. Then seek medical attention immediately, which should include the beginning of rabies-prevention treatment as well as a tetanus shot if the patient's boosters are not up to date.

Source: Rosenthal KE, Thornton GF. The 10 most common questions about rabies. Infect Dis Clin Pract. 1993;3:44-48.

After someone is infected with rabies, symptoms usually develop within 20 to 60 days. And once symptoms start, death usually follows. Therefore, rabies immunization must begin as soon as possible in order to prevent the appearance of symptoms. So the sooner a patient starts getting shots, the better.