If you watched Brad Pitt’s latest blockbuster movie World War Z, then maybe you would remember that the zombie pandemic originated with a rabies-like case along with a breakout with rabies in Taiwan.
Well, recently, after a long 50 years without any rabies case, the rabies virus has re-emerged in Taiwan when 11 dead ferret badgers were confirmed to have been infected with the virus.
While most cases still appear near the mountainous areas of the island, the Taiwanese government is working towards bringing in more rabies vaccines for both pets and humans, hoping to contain the outbreaks in certain areas. However, the fact that the disease was found in areas so far apart – from central to eastern to south-central Taiwan — suggests that the disease may have been lurking in the mountainous areas for years before it was discovered by health authorities. Since the cases seem to appear near several national parks, government officials suspect that the virus originated from people releasing their Chinese-origin pets that may have been smuggled into Taiwan. The virus found in Taiwan is 88-92% similar to those found in Mainland China.
Rabies is a viral disease that can be transmitted from animals to humans, often through a bite from an infected animal, and is invariably fatal as it attacks the human nervous system by travelling to the brain through the peripheral nerves. There’s often an incubation period after an individual is infected, which can lasts up to a few months, depending on the individual; however, once the rabies symptoms appear, it is usually untreatable and fatal within a few days. The early symptoms of rabies include malaise, headache, and fever, which then progress to pain, violent movements, and depression. Rabies victims usually die of respiratory insufficiency.
Rabies Victim (Warning: GRAPHIC CONTENT)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZbrNN9KeUI
I guess you can say that rabies is 100% fatal once the symptoms begin to show.
(But I did come across a documentary on YouTube the other day about a girl who actually survived rabies!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjybyV5-sfY
Although the WHO is working hard towards eradicating the Rabies virus, Rabies still cause about 55,000 human deaths annually worldwide, with 95% of human deaths due to rabies occur in Asia and Africa, and roughly 97% of human rabies cases result from dog bites.
Saying good-bye to the Rabies virus shouldn’t be hard, since we did eliminate small pox entirely, so hopefully this outbreak in Taiwan will be put into an end soon.