Each year, more than 5,000 cases of rabies in animals are reported across the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control. More than 90% of those cases occur in wildlife, such as the rabid fox that bit six people in Brighton last week.
Dr. Emil Lesho, infectious disease specialist with Rochester Regional Health, said that prompt treatment is vital for anyone bitten by a suspected rabid animal.
“The most important thing that you should do after a bite is wash the bite wound out with soap and water,” Lesho said. “You're doing a lot of good to get rid of it that way.”
Lesho said in an unlikely event that there is rabies virus present in that wound, washing the bite can lessen the chances of infection. He said that the incubation period for the rabies virus can be anywhere from one week to a year, and the probability of contracting the virus also depends on “how much wound there was, how much saliva was transferred during the bite, and to a lesser extent the distance from the central nervous system.”
Although human fatalities due to rabies are rare in this country, the CDC says they typically occur in people who do not seek prompt medical treatment after exposure. Lesho said getting treatment within the first week of exposure lessens the risk of the virus multiplying and becoming fatal.
“By the time the patient develops rabies symptoms, the virus is well entrenched already into the nervous system,” Lesho said. He said symptoms could then include seizures and fevers.
“The train has left the station by that time, and it's just hoping that supportive care will take over.”
Lesho said it’s also key to stay up to date with your tetanus shot.
