Rethinking Rabies Treatment

Rabies is a terrifying disease. Once the virus enters a human host — typically by way of a bite from an infected animal — it creeps along from nerve cell to nerve cell until it reaches the brain. It usually takes a month or more for symptoms to show. But when they do, the ensuing illness is usually marked by chilling neurological signs: delirium, hallucinations, aggressiveness, and a combination of hydrophobia (often including an intolerance for swallowing water) and increased saliva production, which leads to the hallmark foaming at the mouth.