What should you know about rabies virus in humans?

Rabies reaches people when saliva or nervous tissue from an infected mammal enters a bite, scratch, open wound or the eyes, mouth or nose. It then affects nerves and the brain. Early illness may resemble other infections, while later features can include agitation, confusion, difficulty swallowing, abnormal sensitivity to air or water, weakness and paralysis.

A person cannot reliably judge risk from the size of a wound or from feeling well. The animal, the type of contact, the wound location and vaccination history all affect the medical decision.

Wash the exposed area as soon as possible with soap and running water. Avoid sealing the wound before it is assessed. Contact urgent medical care and give precise details about the animal, the time of contact, whether saliva was involved and any previous rabies vaccination.

A clinician may prescribe [Rabies Post-Exposure Prophylaxis](/treatments/acute-and-urgent-care/rabies-post-exposure-prophylaxis/). Follow the advised schedule and do not stop because the wound appears healed or the animal cannot immediately be found.

Seek urgent assessment after a mammal bite, scratch or saliva contact with broken skin or a mucous membrane, particularly if the animal is stray, wild, unavailable or behaving unusually. Emergency help is needed for severe bleeding, facial or neck wounds, breathing problems, faintness or confusion.

Ask whether the exposure requires vaccine or immunoglobulin, how quickly treatment should begin, what wound care is needed, and whether your prior vaccination changes the doses.