Rabies: 100% Fatal

Rabies is a deadly cross-species transfer virus spread to people, typically through the saliva of infected animals. The virus is known to kill around 60,000 per year, with virtually no survivors after symptoms have been detected. Although an estimated 6 to 29 (unconfirmed) people have survived the virus, the odds of death after symptoms occur is roughly 99.996%.

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[ValensBellator]

Honestly a 14% success rate on something that had a 100% fatality rate from the dawn of time via a treatment thought up on the spot is really dang impressive imo

[TheAndroidNextDoor]

I read a thread once that asked what the single most terrifying sentence in human languages is. A bunch of them were what you expected like, "We need to talk" or "There's been an accident" but the single most existentially terrifying one I read went like this:

"Rabies has gone airborne."

[trirycheman]

I got bit by a stray cat back in 2014. Called animal control, they quizzed me over how the cat was acting. The Officer said something that made me think. He said, "Look, you can set a trap and catch it if you're lucky. But if it were me, I'd go start the Rabies treatments tomorrow, and get the vaccine. Rabies is 100% fatal and it's too late once symptoms start." So, I went and got the shots. One antibody shot in each extremity, two at the site of the bite and one vaccine. Then back for more antibodies at 7, 14, and 21 days. In all 10 shots. I did eventually catch the cat, it was negative. But I feel I made the right choice in case I didn't catch it.

[jonatanschwindt]

My son was bit by a dog at a friend's house, his mother didn't though the vaccine was necessary because it was only a scratch. I went anyway and gave it to him.... later the dog started with symptoms and died short after... I've never been happier of being overly cautious in my life, best decision i've ever made

[Aztesticals]

There is a video on YouTube of a Russian man with rabies. He allowed doctors to interview and record him from admission to death. Such a nice man. He demonstrated how just having water put in front of him gave him uncontrollable spasms. He couldn't even handle the wet cloth to cool his head at times the mere thought of water near him was enough. He talked until his last day. Choking on his own saliva and spasms

[kimorox]

As a an animal health student, I think its important to mention that rabies can also do the opposite of making an animal agressive: sometimes a rabid animal will be friendlier/less afraid of humans than usual. If you see a wild animal that is friendly towards you or just doesn't seem scared when people get close to it, don't approach it and report it instead

[Ethan-ofsb]

The scariest diseases, injuries, etc in my opinion are always the ones that effect the brain. It's one thing to lose part of your body, if you lose control or function of your brain your literally losing yourself.

[bandit]

I thought rabies was treatable once infected. I didn’t realize I brushed death’s fingertips until today. A few years ago a slobbery, skittish dog came up to me when I was sitting outside, moping and upset over some issue that no longer has a place in my memory. Telling my wife about the sweet dog, her eyes went wide and proclaimed that the dog I pet was one which people in our neighborhood were trying to catch, because it had been infected with rabies due to some rodent bite. This adorable black Labrador, likely mixed with pitbull — trotted awkwardly up to me and essentially sat in my lap. She allowed me to pet her, which in the moment was a bit of happiness and relief that I needed. I can’t believe I did that without a rabies vaccination. I would’ve died had she decided to bite me. Instead she became skittish and weird after a short while of allowing me to pet her, withdrawing down the sidewalk and off into the distance, never to be seen by my eyes again. That dog could’ve been the end of my life. That is fucking horrifying. I had no clue it was 100% lethal unless you have an immunity to it.
Knowing how soon it kills, I’m sad to understand that she likely died a painful, drawn-out death if she wasn’t picked up and euthanized. Although she was dangerous, she had such a good spirit. A truly wonderful creature, slain by an invisible enemy with no weapon against it she could defend herself with. She deserved better. I hope someday there’ll be some sort of universal cure for rabies in all creatures, human and our lesser-advanced counterparts. Nobody and no animal deserves to die that way, being so horrified of water that you dehydrate to death, or so hysterical that you either harm yourself or others. It must’ve been a terrible experience for that poor dog.

[ganondorfchampin]

Imagine how lucky we are that the first person to receive the protocol was among the 14% to survive. If she didn’t we wouldn’t know that it sometimes works, and no one would survive.

[Bubbaist]

I’ve heard that the idea of the ware wolf came from rabies. People would be bitten by a crazy wolf, then later start acting the same way, so it’s no surprise the ware wolf story came about.

[rainyrainold]

Louis Pasteur was an amazing man. He could have exposed himself to rabies while experimenting with it, yet he went forward and saved so many lives.

[AnonymousCommentor_]

Rabies is the closest thing we have to a zombie disease. Truly terrifying.

[crystalratclffe]

As a retired ICU nurse who has watched a rabies death, I am so glad you did this video!

[purplehaze]

I think there's something uniquely terrifying about rabies in particular that other certain-death conditions can't match. It doesn't matter if it's some random bat you wouldn't even notice the bite of, or a beloved pet you've been best friends with for years. It not only claims all it infects, but it does so in horrifying fashion and, in most species, makes them actively go out of their way to spread the disease to others.

[brettzolstick]

My Dad got rabies twice. Once from a stray cat we were feeding, and once from a random bat that just landed on his forehead and bit him. The cat was definitely rabid, foaming at the mouth and attacking about 7 different people in the neighborhood including my dad, who was bitten in the ankle. He got vaccinated for both bites. What's surprising is how hard the vaccine is to get though. We almost had to go all the way from Florida to New York for the first bite. Luckily, treatment was easier for the bat bite. I guess they prioritized that case more because he was bit in the head, meaning the incubation period would have been much quicker.

Bat bites are painless, so if you ever find blood pooling from some tiny fang marks anywhere on you. You should probably think about getting the rabies vaccine.

[russellbagnall]

14% success vs 100% fatal otherwise is definitely worth the shot. Not to mention passing away in a coma sounds a heck of a lot better than dying from the symptoms and being awake.

[vic]

I took a course on immunology once. On the last day of lecture, the professor invited a bio weapons defense expert to give the lecture. Afterwards someone asked him to imagine using his knowledge for evil and asked what infectious agent he would choose for a bioweapons attack. He thought about it a little. The answer: rabies. Almost 100% fatal once you develop symptoms, *extremely* infectious, can be made airborne and aerosolized and probably has been, and can lie dormant in the victim's body for years.
Frighteningly, he also told us (this was around 15 years ago), that the government was *very* alarmed when West Nile Virus was first detected in the US since the outbreak showed similarities to what would be expected from a bioterror attack.

[ignitionfrn]

0:40 - Chapter 1 - Symptoms
2:20 - Chapter 2 - Transmission
3:40 - Chapter 3 - Historic treatment
6:25 - Chapter 4 - Puppy pregnancy syndrome
7:20 - Chapter 5 - Vaccination
8:55 - Chapter 6 - Current treatments
11:25 - Chapter 7 - Affected areas
12:45 - Chapter 8 - Rabies control

[af]

I worked with Jeana Geise, what he didn't mention was the years she spent recovering, and relearning how to speak, walk, talk and function. She survived, travelled the world, married and had a family. She was the first known case to survive infection without a vaccine.

[isaM]

It's crazy to see a disease that is 100% treatable and no one should die, but if you don't get treated it's 100% death. It's scary and crazy to think about.