I am quite capable of getting interested in some pretty wierd stuff. Don't ask me why. Lately I have been checking into Rabies. Big problem in the third world it seems.
I'm finding out people in general are quite misinformed. It bugs me to hear someone say they think squirrels pose a rabies risk; as a hunter, I know that isn't true, check it out. But it struck me that it is a little odd that we hunters generally aren't warned at all about any rabies dangers; here is one rare exception. After finding out recently that all mammals can get rabies, it got me wondering. Why is there virtually no risk with what I typically hunt? [which btw doesn't include raccoons for me].
It turns out that the experts don't seem to be sure why so many animals just don't pose a risk. Once in a while you hear one of them theorize that any, say, rat that would be attacked by another animal usually gets killed by it. [yep, rats also pose almost zero risk; the opposite contention, one I adhered to as well, is one heck of a widespread myth! see that first link]. As far as that they-die-instantly-theory goes, I don't really buy it. If one animal bites another, is it always a fight to the death? I don't think so, and when you hear about rabid animals biting, seems like it's often a quick fleeting thing. My own personal theory I'm now developing is that low risk mammals just don't go into aggressive mode, instead they just get sick and die, and thus don't spread the virus. Apparently no one knows, but it's not like birds and reptiles, which can't get rabies. Deer and bears also pose no real risk; the latter case would seem to blow holes in my just-don't-get-aggressive theory and certainly torpedoes the they-die-instantly-theory!
There are videos out there on the story of the only person who has ever been known to survive rabies once symptoms appeared and they had not gotten the shots. So far no one else has been able to follow the protocol they used on this girl and save anyone else. Brother don't dismiss the risk for anyone in contact with a bat! I found the story interesting so here it is:
video one
video two
video three
4 comments:
I worry about foxes the most, because they do carry rabies and there are a lot of them around here. But I guess since I don't have any outdoor pets, as long as I don't get bit by a fox, we don't worry about it.
I read Aaron's blog btw, so I knew about the lay off. He seems happy, so more power to him, man.
no bats up there? no wonder the mosquitoes go nuts!
That was really interesting. I always thought that bats carrying rabies was an old wives tale. I think it's pretty rare for a virus to have such a widespread effect on all mammals, even though the risk for rodentia is low. It's my understanding, that viruses typically stay within families, i.e. the cat can't get HIV from humans and we can't get FIV from cats or something like the Marburg virus that can't tell the difference between humans and chimpanzees. Fascinating stuff.
Hopefully more victims who didnt get shots will be saved, as the doctors learn more.
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