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How would a vaccine help someone who already has rabies?
by tomphoolery 8y ago
How would a vaccine help someone who already has rabies?
- village-idiot 8y agoThe vaccine is extremely effective if taken between the bite and when symptoms occur. If treated properly and promptly, you have basically a 100% chance of living. As symptoms begin to show up, the chance of survival drops rapidly to 0%.
- aaron_m04 8y ago> As symptoms begin to show up, the chance of survival drops rapidly to 0%. Probably even before symptoms show up, right?
- nostrademons 8y agoIt takes a while for rabies to travel from the muscle or skin cells of the original bite up into the central nervous system. The virus initially replicates inside muscle cells to avoid detection by the immune system, and only starts traveling up peripheral nerves once a sufficient viral load has been generated. PEP works by massively boosting the patient's immune system (via immunoglobulin) and sensitizing it to the rabies virus (via the vaccine) before the virus can get to the points (the brain) that it's impossible to remove it from. Think of an army retreating in wartime: if you know that the enemy has successfully established a beachhead within your country, the logical next step is to start fortifying cities & chokepoints so that as the enemy advances, they meet unbeatable resistance. That's also why it's critical to get treated ASAP after being bitten: once you show symptoms, it's too late.