Rabies is perhaps the world’s most notorious zoonosis, and is fatal in 99% of cases. The disease is caused by a virus, and was historically referred to as ‘hydrophobia’, due to an infected person’s perceived panic when presented with liquids. The word ‘rabies’ comes from the Latin for ‘madness’, another perceived symptom of the disease in its final stages.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) explains that the virus causes “acute encephalitis” in mammals. Rabies is most prevalent in Asia and Africa, and is almost always spread by infected dogs in these regions. However, in the US, more than 90% of rabies cases occur in wildlife, such as raccoons, skunks, bats and foxes, says the CDC. In the US, dog owners are legally obliged to vaccinate their animals against rabies, which
