How did they treat rabies in the 1800s?
Until Louis Pasteur and Emile Roux developed a vaccine in the mid-1880s, bite marks from rabid or suspected rabid animals often were treated by cutting away the flesh in and around the infected area and then cauterizing the wound with "lunar caustic" (fused silver nitrate).
How did people used to treat rabies?
Other barbaric cures for rabies included burning the wounds with a hot poker and a "hair-of-the-dog". Homeopathic medicine invokes the use of "similars", i.e. like cures like. Hairs of the rabid dog were laid on the wound or ingested by the patient.
Was rabies The first vaccine?
The first human vaccination with a rabies virus attenuated by exposure to dry air started on July 6, 1885, and was reported in the session of the French Academy of Sciences on October 26, 1885 (1).
Why is there no cure for rabies?
Rabies infects the central nervous system (CNS), and — if left untreated — it can be fatal if it reaches the brain. Once it reaches the brain, there's currently no treatment available.
Why are rabies patients afraid of water?
People used to call rabies hydrophobia because it appears to cause a fear of water. The reason is that the infection causes intense spasms in the throat when a person tries to swallow. Even the thought of swallowing water can cause spasms, making it appear that the individual is afraid of water.
How long did it take to make a vaccine for rabies?
The first rabies vaccine was introduced in 1885 and was followed by an improved version in 1908. Millions of people globally are vaccinated against the virus.
Who cured rabies?
Fortunately, rabies is 100% preventable in humans thanks to the Rabies vaccine (first created by Louis Pasteur).
Who discovered rabies virus?
In 1804, Georg Gottfried Zinke first transmitted rabies1 from a rabid dog to a normal one, and from dog to a rabbit and a hen, by injection of saliva. This proved that the disease was infectious.
Early History of Rabies
Epidemiology of Rabies
- The prevalence of rabies in different areas of the world varied throughout history. Some regions were thought to be free of rabies in particular time periods, although this changed with time as the disease crept back in depending on the animal population and prevalence of the disease. At the turn of the 20th century, rabies was greatly reduced from many developed regions that were pre…
Prevention of Rabies Transmission
- In the 18th century, legislation was passed in countries like Germany, France and Spain for the destruction of stray dogs, in an attempt to reduce the risk that a rabid dog may come into contact and bite a human in the region. However, this was not held well by the public and was not enforced in most areas throughout the world. Other preventative methods were introduced in th…
Rabies Vaccination
- Pasteur first demonstrated the possibility of vaccinating dogs to prevent rabies infection and possible transmission to humans in 1885. However, this was not routinely practiced until the 1920s, when domestic animal vaccination was developed and became widely used. This practice helped to reduce the prevalence of rabies in animals dramatically. Pro...
Current Management of Rabies
- Even today, once symptoms develop there is no known treatment for rabies. Instead, the current management for someone exposed to rabies is post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP). This involves administration of rabies immunoglobulin and vaccine soon after exposure to the virus, followed by a series of injections over 30 days. To date, PEP has a success rate nearing 100% when adminis…
References
Further Reading
Overview
The rabies vaccine is a vaccine used to prevent rabies. There are a number of rabies vaccines available that are both safe and effective. They can be used to prevent rabies before, and, for a period of time, after exposure to the rabies virus, which is commonly caused by a dog bite or a bat bite.
Doses are usually given by injection into the skin or muscle. After exposure, th…
History
Virtually all infections with rabies resulted in death until two French scientists, Louis Pasteur and Émile Roux, developed the first rabies vaccination in 1885. Nine-year-old Joseph Meister (1876–1940), who had been mauled by a rabid dog, was the first human to receive this vaccine. The treatment started with a subcutaneous injection on 6 July 1885, at 8:00 pm, which was followed with 1…
Medical uses
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends vaccinating those who are at high risk of the disease, such as children who live in areas where it is common. Other groups may include veterinarians, researchers, or people planning to travel to regions where rabies is common. Three doses of the vaccine are given over a one-month period on days zero, seven, and either twenty-one or twenty-eight.
Safety
Rabies vaccines are safe in all age groups. About 35 to 45 percent of people develop a brief period of redness and pain at the injection site, and 5 to 15 percent of people may experience fever, headaches, or nausea. Because of the certain fatality of the virus, receiving the vaccine is always advisable.
Vaccines made from nerve tissue are used in a few countries, mainly in Asia and Latin America, …
Types
The human diploid cell rabies vaccine (H.D.C.V.) was started in 1967. Human diploid cell rabies vaccines are inactivated vaccines made using the attenuated Pitman-Moore L503 strain of the virus.
In addition to these developments, newer and less expensive purified chicken embryo cell vaccines (CCEEV) and purified Vero cell rabies vaccines are now available and are recommende…
Cost
When the modern cell-culture rabies vaccine was first introduced in the early 1980s, it cost $45 per dose, and was considered to be too expensive. The cost of the rabies vaccine continues to be a limitation to acquiring pre-exposure rabies immunization for travelers from developed countries. In 2015 in the United States, a course of three doses could cost over $1,000, while in Europe a course costs around €100. It is possible and more cost-effective to split one intramuscular dos…
Veterinary use
Pre-exposure immunization has been used on domesticated and wild populations. In many jurisdictions, domestic dogs, cats, ferrets, and rabbits are required to be vaccinated.
There are two main types of vaccines used for domesticated animals and pets (including pets from wildilfe species):
External links
• "Rabies Vaccine Information Statement". U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 9 April 2021.
• "Imovax". U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). 16 December 2019. STN: 103931.
• "RabAvert - Rabies Vaccine". U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). 12 December 2019. STN: BL 103334.