What should you know about furious rabies?

Rabies is a viral infection that can reach the central nervous system after transmission through the saliva of an infected animal, commonly through a bite or scratch. The furious form may cause marked restlessness, fear, confusion, hallucinations, muscle spasms and an intense reaction to attempts to drink. Episodes can alternate with periods of relative calm. Once neurological symptoms begin, the illness is a medical emergency and outcomes are often very serious.

Wash a bite, scratch or saliva-contaminated wound with running water and soap as soon as possible, without scrubbing deeply or sealing the wound. Seek urgent medical assessment even if the wound looks small and even if the animal is not available. A clinician will assess the animal, the exposure site and your vaccination history, then decide whether wound care, rabies vaccine or rabies immunoglobulin is needed.

Go to emergency care immediately after a possible exposure, and call emergency services for confusion, severe agitation, spasms, trouble swallowing, breathing difficulty or rapidly worsening weakness. Do not wait for symptoms to appear before seeking advice, because preventive treatment is time-sensitive.

Ask which exposures need post-exposure treatment, whether your wound needs additional care, which vaccine schedule applies, and what to do if the animal can be observed or tested.