This recent outbreak of Ebola has stirred up a lot of conversation in our recent classes.

After hearing how nasty the Ebola virus really is, I decided to research the only other infection that tops that one. Rabies results in painful and life-threatening conditions and without treatment will always result in death. First off, rabies is caused by a virus that affects the central nervous system. Rabies is transferred from a rabid animal to humans through a bite or a bad scratch. Rabies can be found in many house-hold pets like dogs, cats, or rabbits but is also commonly found in wild animals such as bats, raccoons and skunks.

The key to surviving after being infected with this virus is to get treated immediately therefore making it essential to know the effects that come along with it.

Here is a video of a man who has rabies and what some of the effects are/look like.

To begin, there are two types of rabies that everyone should recognize. They are labeled “Furious Rabies” and “Paralytic Rabies”. Furious rabies is the kind that everyone expects to hear about. The body grows a fear of water therefore not allowing the victim to swallow water, they produce an excessive amount of saliva (foaming at the mouth), they may experience hallucinations and also become very hyperactive. Opposed to this type of rabies, paralytic rabies is just as it sounds. It takes a while longer to kick in but is definitely results in more death being that the effects are hardly seen. The infected patients slowly become paralyzed and slip into a coma leading to death very soon after.

If bitten by any type of animal, especially one you are not familiar with, you should always get the bite checked out as soon as possible. If unable to do so immediately, be aware of the initial signs. You may experience muscle weakness, tingling, burning at the site of the bite, and fevers. This is a serious matter. No human left untreated has ever survived rabies.

http://www.healthline.com/health/rabies#Types2