5 ms·

I would not have guessed that the Rabies virus is one of the deadliest viruses known to medicine.

kvgr 5y ago
It is probably the deadliest.
gargler 5y ago
HIV is also a death sentence without treatment. Slow, painful death. 90%+ mortality if not severe disability and odd complications.
rootusrootus 5y ago
Something like 98.5% fatal.
- meepmorp 5y ago
  More like >99.9%. Prior to 2004, nobody was ever known to have survived symptomatic rabies, and there's now about 11 known cases total.
  - cafard 5y ago
    I thought some Marine survived in the 1980s--he had been hunting at Quantico, and got careless with a raccoon.
gopalv 5y ago
> Rabies virus is one of the deadliest viruses Rabies is probably the only virus where a vaccine is given after you get exposed (technically not infected yet, because you need to get it quickly enough). I was taken in for a post-exposure vaccination as a child, though they didn't give me one after figuring out I wasn't bitten really (I still am very unclear about what happened) and just had thorns all over my legs from jump into some bushes away from the stray dog. Would've been a painful set of shots in the belly, which some other kids got. And the dog was left in chains with a giant bowl of water to see if it drank any over the next week. Rabies and Tetanus seemed to be the "vaccine magic" diseases of my childhood, with very different outcomes with vaccinations after exposure.
- petertodd 5y ago
  > Rabies is probably the only virus where a vaccine is given after you get exposed (technically not infected yet, because you need to get it quickly enough). Tetanus isn't caused by a virus; it's caused by a bacteria. But getting vaccinated for it after potential exposure is recommended if you aren't up-to-date, and it's recommended even up to 21 days after injury as tetanus can develop slowly: https://www.uptodate.com/contents/image/print?imageKey=PEDS%2F61087 https://www.uptodate.com/contents/image/print?imageKey=PEDS%... https://www.mayoclinic.org/first-aid/first-aid-puncture-wounds/basics/art-20056665 https://www.mayoclinic.org/first-aid/first-aid-puncture-woun... I personally once got a tetanus booster shot on doctors advice following a small wound, because I hadn't had one for awhile. Incidentally, the tetanus vaccine is unusual as it actually primes your immune system to attack the toxin produced by the tetanus bacteria, not the bacteria themselves. The bacteria are especially harmful only because of the toxin they release.
- hiyer 5y ago
  > Rabies is probably the only virus where a vaccine is given after you get exposed People with high risk of exposure (like vets and zoo workers) take the vaccine periodically as a preventive measure too. At least they do so in India. Maybe in the US they don't because of the cost of the vaccine.
  - sgent 5y ago
    Same in US. The reason its not given to the general population is that it has to be repeated every 3-5 years, and you still need evaluation and possibly PEP after exposure. Its just that the PEP is much less severe.

kvgr 5y ago

It is probably the deadliest.

HIV is also a death sentence without treatment. Slow, painful death. 90%+ mortality if not severe disability and odd complications.

rootusrootus 5y ago

Something like 98.5% fatal.

meepmorp 5y ago
More like >99.9%. Prior to 2004, nobody was ever known to have survived symptomatic rabies, and there's now about 11 known cases total.
- cafard 5y ago
  I thought some Marine survived in the 1980s--he had been hunting at Quantico, and got careless with a raccoon.

gopalv 5y ago

> Rabies virus is one of the deadliest viruses Rabies is probably the only virus where a vaccine is given after you get exposed (technically not infected yet, because you need to get it quickly enough). I was taken in for a post-exposure vaccination as a child, though they didn't give me one after figuring out I wasn't bitten really (I still am very unclear about what happened) and just had thorns all over my legs from jump into some bushes away from the stray dog. Would've been a painful set of shots in the belly, which some other kids got. And the dog was left in chains with a giant bowl of water to see if it drank any over the next week. Rabies and Tetanus seemed to be the "vaccine magic" diseases of my childhood, with very different outcomes with vaccinations after exposure.

petertodd 5y ago
> Rabies is probably the only virus where a vaccine is given after you get exposed (technically not infected yet, because you need to get it quickly enough). Tetanus isn't caused by a virus; it's caused by a bacteria. But getting vaccinated for it after potential exposure is recommended if you aren't up-to-date, and it's recommended even up to 21 days after injury as tetanus can develop slowly: https://www.uptodate.com/contents/image/print?imageKey=PEDS%2F61087 https://www.uptodate.com/contents/image/print?imageKey=PEDS%... https://www.mayoclinic.org/first-aid/first-aid-puncture-wounds/basics/art-20056665 https://www.mayoclinic.org/first-aid/first-aid-puncture-woun... I personally once got a tetanus booster shot on doctors advice following a small wound, because I hadn't had one for awhile. Incidentally, the tetanus vaccine is unusual as it actually primes your immune system to attack the toxin produced by the tetanus bacteria, not the bacteria themselves. The bacteria are especially harmful only because of the toxin they release.
hiyer 5y ago
> Rabies is probably the only virus where a vaccine is given after you get exposed People with high risk of exposure (like vets and zoo workers) take the vaccine periodically as a preventive measure too. At least they do so in India. Maybe in the US they don't because of the cost of the vaccine.
- sgent 5y ago
  Same in US. The reason its not given to the general population is that it has to be repeated every 3-5 years, and you still need evaluation and possibly PEP after exposure. Its just that the PEP is much less severe.