Rabies does not kill “virtually everybody who contracts it”. There are no confirmed surviviors of this disease.
There were reports of a Turkish man surviving a case of rabies, but the rabies diagnosis is now considered doubtful.
“Show me a sane man, and I will cure him for you.”----Jung
Without treatment, I mean.
I seem to recall vaguely that there was an American kid in the 50s or 60s who survived rabies. There was a picture of the little nipper in his PJs, frolicking in the hospital. It was a huge deal because the disease was not considered survivable.
Anybody got any more definite scoop than that?
Dear Jill and others,
I happen to have on hand the Alabama Rabies Control and Bite Management Manual, published in October 1997 by the Division of Epidemiology, Bureau of Disease Control, Alabama Department of Public Health. This information may be a little dated, but I thought you might be interested in it anyway. I don’t think this is copyrighted, but I will quote judiciously anyway.
“Preexposure immunization for rabies is recommended for persons with continuous risk, frequent risk, and infrequent risk (greater than the population-at-large). These risk categories include rabies research and laboratory workers, spelunkers, veterinarians, veterinary technicians and kennel workers, animal control and wildlife personnell, and taxidermists in most areas of Alabama. Others whose vocational or recreational pursuits result in frequent contact with dogs, cats, foxes, skunks, raccoons, bats, or other frequent cariers of rabies should also be considered for preexposure immunization (e.g., trappers, coon hunters).”
“Preexposure immunization allows for a rapid anamnestic response in the event of an exposure to a rabid animal and subsequent postexposure prophylaxis. Studies have revealed that a single injection booster dose of Human Diploid Cell Vaccine (HDCV), Rabies Vaccine Absorbed (RVA), or RabAvert(Trademarked) will elicit antibody titers that are usually higher after the booster than after primary immunization. the second booster will produce titers that often persist for over five years. Although the postexposure treatment regimen for people that have received preexposure immunization is much shorter (two doses only on day 0 and day 3) and does NOT include Rabies Immune Globulin (RIG), proper and timely postexposure rabies prophylaxis is still required.”
“Essentially all immunocompetent individuals develop an ‘adequate’ antibody titer after receiving the three primary immunizations with HDCV, RBA, or RabAvert rabies vaccine. It is not necessary to determine antibody titers following the primary three-dose series. However, over a two-to-three-year-period after primary immunization, titers may all to ‘unacceptable’ levels. Because of postvaccinal complications in some individuals with HDCV, antibody titers should be monitored every two years in lieu of empirical booster vaccinations.”
“At this time, there are four human rabies vaccines licensed by the FDA for distribution in the United States. Two regimens are acceptable for preexposure immunization: (A) Three INTRAMUSCULAR (IM) injections in the deltoid muscle with HDCV, or RVA, or RabAvert on day 0, day 7, and day 21 or 28. (B) Three INTRADERMAL (ID) injections with HDCV ID on day 0, day 7, and day 21 or 28. Immunity provided with each of the three vaccines is comparable. Some earlier studies suggested that the ID vaccine did not produce long-term protection. However, the trials for the ID vaccine were conducted on Peace Corps Volunteers taking chloroquine for malaria prevention which interfered with antibody production. Subsequent studies indicate comparable results and the HDCV ID is half as expensive as HDCV IM. THE INTRADERMAL ROUTE OF ADMINISTRATION HAS BEEN APPROVED FOR PREEXPOSURE IMMUNIZATION ONLY.”
“RabAvert was approved by the FDA in October 1997 for use in the U.S. The purified chick embryo product is produced by Chiron Behring GmbH and Company in Germany, and distributed by Chiron Corporation. The production process by which RabAvert is manufactured removes most of the human albumin, and RabAvert has not been associated with hypersensitivity. Another advantage of RabAvert is that it is a freeze-dried product with a shelf-life of up to three years. However, since it is egg-derived, RABAVERT SHOULD NOT BE ADMINISTERED TO A PATIENT WITH A KNOWN EGG ALLERGY.”
“Adverse reactions are reported to occur in approximately 6% of individuals who receive routine HDCV primary immunizations or boosters. The majority of adverse reactions are limited to local or mild symptoms and can usually be successfully managed with anti-inflammatory and antipyretic agents. A few systemic reactions have been reported. RVA is a newer vaccine produced from a diploid cell line derived from fetal rhesus lung cells. Studies revealed much fewer postvaccinal reactions to RVA as compared to HDCV in both primary and booster vaccinations. The rate of systemic allergic reactions was <1% in more than 4,000 volunteers compared to the 7% rate with HDCV boosters.”
“Humans are RELATIVELY resistant to clinical disease. The risk of developing rabies following the bite by a proven rabid dog is estimated to be about 18% without postexposure treatment.”
I think there may be some confusion over what constitutes ‘disease’ and ‘treatment’ in rabies. ‘Treatment’ consists of postexposure prophylactic vaccinations, effective because the incubation period is very slow and allows time for an immune response to the develop from the vaccinations (the amount of virus in a wound is usually so small that no natural immune response is stimulated). Once the virus enters the nerves and symptoms appear, it is beyond the reach of the immune system and you’re pretty much a goner. Most cases of rabies in humans are diagnosed post-mortem.
Humand deaths from rabies are pretty rare in the U.S. because of our pet-vaccination program, but apparently occur frequently in more undeveloped countries.
Sacred cows make the best hamburgers. - Mark Twain