Rabies Articles A-Z
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The rabies virus is an RNA virus that attacks the nervous system in mammals, including humans. This eMedTV page describes how the virus is transmitted (usually by an animal bite) and explains how rabies may cause serious symptoms and even death.
The scientific name for rabies is the rabies virus, a member of the Rhabdoviridae family of viruses. This eMedTV article discusses the classification of the rabies virus, which belongs to the genus Lyssavirus.
Statistics on rabies show that 7,437 cases of rabies in animals were reported in the U.S. during 2001. This eMedTV article provides statistics on rabies, including information about the prevalence of the disease among animals and humans.
There has been only one case of a person surviving rabies when treatment began after the onset of symptoms. This eMedTV article tells the story of this individual case, yet stresses that there is no cure for rabies once symptoms develop.
What causes rabies? As discussed in this portion of the eMedTV Web site, rabies may be caused by a bite from an infected animal, non-bite exposure, or human-to-human transmission. In most cases, what causes rabies is a bite from a rabid animal.
