Rabies is among the deadliest communicable diseases in the world with a case-fatality rate of ~100% with out post exposure treatment and vaccination. People usually get rabies from the bite of a rabid animal. It is also possible, but quite rare, that people may get rabies if infectious material from a rabid animal, such as saliva, gets directly into their eyes, nose, mouth, or a wound.
While human rabies deaths are rare in the US, with maybe 1-2 cases annually, according to the Global Alliance for Rabies Control, some 70,000 people die from this preventable viral disease each year.
Pamela Wilson, LVT, MEd, MCHES joined me for a comprehensive Q & A on rabies. Pamela works for Zoonosis Control with the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) in Austin and is the author of a number of articles on the topic of rabies.
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