What are the symptoms of Rabies?

The symptoms may appear as early as within a week to as along as a year after exposure. In most people the symptoms develop in about eight weeks. Symptoms occur more rapidly after bite on the head or neck, as the rabies virus travels more quickly to your brain. Initial symptoms of rabies are usually loss of appetite, pain at the site of bite and headache. Enlisted here are the common signs and symptoms of rabies.

• Fever.
• Headache.
• Agitation or restlessness.
• Anxiety or fretfulness.
• Confusion.
• Difficulty in swallowing.
• Increased or excessive salivation.
• Fear of water (hydrophobia) as a result of the difficulty in swallowing.
• Hallucinations or delusions.
• Insomnia. [Read: Symptoms of Insomnia]
• Partial paralysis.

 Contact a physician if you are bitten by an animal. Your doctor will recommend treatment based on the examination findings.

Indian burden (What percentage of population suffer, which part in the country reports highest cases of rabies)

Rabies is endemic in India and approximately 36% of the global rabies deaths every year occur in India. Most of the rabies death are caused in children. Rabies is almost eliminated from developed countries but lack of coordination and comprehensive national program has caused widespread prevalence of rabies in India.

• Approximately 15 million people are bitten by animals annually in India. About 90% of the animal bites are by dogs (60% by stray dogs and 40% by pet dogs)

• In India the incidence of animal bites per 1000 population is 17.4. An animal bites a person every 2 seconds and one death occurs from rabies every 30 minutes.

• According to the Association for Prevention and Control of Rabies in India and World Health Organization, 20,565 deaths occur from rabies per year.

[Read: How can one prevent Rabies?]

• Majority deaths from rabies occur in people from poor or low-income socioeconomic status.

Read more articles on Communicable Diseases.