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March/April 2000 issue	In this issue Table of Contents Editor’s Notebook Inside Story Feature: Raccoons Curious by nature

Rabies is an infection of the brain and spinal cord caused by a virus. According to Health Canada, rabies can be fatal without prompt medical treatment. Few Canadians succumb to rabies. Health Canada reports that 21 people have died from rabies in this country since 1925. but the situation is different in other countries. The World Health Organization estimates that in 1997 there were between 35,000 and 50,000 human rabies deaths worldwide. Of those, India accounted for approximately 30,000.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in the U.S. (CDC), the profile of rabies carriers has changed considerably over the past few decades. Prior to the 1960s most reported rabies incidents were in domestic animals. Today, more than 90 percent of reported cases are in wild carnivores, such as raccoons, skunks, foxes, coyotes and bats. In 1997, raccoons made up just over half of all reported cases of animal rabies. It is domestic animals, however, that most often pass rabies on to humans, probably because people have much closer contact with pets.

The most common form of transmission is through the saliva from a bite. Once an animal has been infected, the disease goes into what is called an eclipse phase, during which it is difficult to detect. This phase can last anywhere from a couple of days to several months. Dogs and cats can transmit rabies from three to seven days before they show symptoms, and throughout the illness.

Rabies symptoms in animals usually have two stages. First, animals tend to become aggressive, snapping at people and other animals, and salivating more than normal. Then the animal loses muscle coordination and the ability to swallow, making it drool excessively. The animal may also suffer convulsions. Animal rabies is usually fatal within 10 days of the onset of clinical symptoms.

In humans, the first rabies symptoms generally include fever or prolonged headaches, anxiety, confusion, agitation, hallucinations and insomnia. Once the symptoms develop, the disease is almost always fatal, usually as a result of paralysis of the respiratory system. However, the U.S. CDC reports that rabies is never fatal when a vaccine is administered promptly, before the onset of symptoms.

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