What Is Rabies and What Are Its Symptoms in Human?

What is rabies?

Rabies is a serious viral infection that affects the brain of a human being. The rabies symptoms begin to show about two weeks after exposure to the virus. It causes swelling and inflammation of brain and the spinal cord, and can turn fatal in extreme or untreated cases. It spreads mainly through animal bites.

Causes

Humans exhibit rabies symptoms mainly when bitten by animals that are infected. Once bitten, the virus gets transmitted from animal to human being and begins to spread to the brain of the latter. In developing countries like India, rabies most commonly happens when bitten by stray dogs. In other places, it can happen from racoon, fox or bat bites too.

Signs & Symptoms

Rabies turns fatal once it reaches the human brain. However, if the symptoms are identified sooner and the person gets the necessary medical assistance, then he can be saved. The common signs and symptoms of rabies include:

● Headache

About 14 days from the date of exposure, the patient might start showing mild symptoms such as recurrent headache.

● Flu

It then proceeds to setting in of flu-like symptoms such as body aches and fever followed by other symptoms.

● Itching

One of the symptoms of rabies in humans is that there is intense itching and discomfort around the bite area.

● Irritability

Along with irritability, the person also experiences sweating, inability to fall asleep, and restlessness.

● Incoherence

This is one of the most demoralising signs of rabies wherein the person cannot function under normal and logical circumstances.

● Hallucination

This is one of the common rabies symptoms which a person experiences along with exhibiting delirium and abnormal behaviour.

● Hydrophobia

Hydrophobia or fear of water is one of the final stage symptoms and signs of rabies.