Rabies was first recognized in ancient times around 4,000 years ago. Ranging from ancient India, Greece, Egypt, and a couple of other places.

What was the suspected infectious agent?

The infectious agent for rabies is a virus. Affecting the central nervous system and brain.

What type of disease was it?

Rabies is zoonotic, meaning it is spread between animals and humans through biting and saliva.

Rabies has become pretty much global, but it has the highest prevalence in the Middle East, Africa, and both Americas.

What was the timeline of the spread?

1600's: Spread throughout Europe

1700's: Spread from the Old World throughout both Americas due to european colonization

1800's: Spread even more throughout Europe

1900's: Spread throughout Japan

Approximately how many people were affected (illness and/or death)?

Around 1.4 million americans visit the hospital for possible rabies exposure a year

About 100,000 americans recieve medicine post exposure a year

10 or less die from rabies a year

How virulent is your disease?

Rabies is extremely virulent. Without treat this disease is fatal and the side affects of rabies are very intense.

Did the virulence change over time?

Rabies virulence has surprisingly stayed pretty constant. It has always been very virulent, but the thing that has changed is how it impacts humans. This has changed due to treatment and vaccines.

The healthcare community has been able to control rabies primarily through prevention, vaccinations, and immediate medical treatment.

What medical advances were used in combatting the disease?

The biggest advancements were in vaccines. The very first rabies vaccine was developed in 1885 called the Louis Pasteur's Rabies Vaccine. Multiple adaptations and improvements were engineered into vaccines and post-exposure treatment. There are now even oral rabies vaccines for wildlife that help lower wildlife transmission. All these advances have now made post-exposure therapy treat almost 100% effective when medical treatment is sought out immediately.

Were any new technologies applied to this disease? What were they?

Some examples of technology advancements are PCR-based molecule testing, GIS-based outbreak mapping, advanced cell-culture vaccine production. and antibody therapies. With all of these advancements it has helped improve diagnosis, vaccine access, global surveillance and knowledge and wildlife control.

The government was able to create stricter laws in vaccination as well as animal control. The public health system was able to grow as they learned more about how to control rabies. With the implementation of more wildlife and human vaccinations the infection of rabies has drastically improved throughout many countries.

Were any innovative initiatives used in combatting the disease? What were they?

One of the coolest and innovative initiatives was oral rabies vaccination programs for wildlife. They achieved this by dropping baits by airplanes, drones, and helicopters. Once these baits were dropped and eaten by animals, they will become immunized. This was an innovative way to help immunize animals without capturing them.

What could leadership have done better in response to this disease?

One step that could have helped was if leadership was able to act more aggressively from the beginning. This would have helped lower the amount of breakouts and death.

A couple of the changes throughout society were through fear. Not only were people more scared of wildlife, but it also led to stricter animal control overall. There was also the fear of expenses with vaccines, treatment, and prevention. Lastly, there became a stigma associated with people affected or exposed to rabies.

Did any society behaviors change?

Relating to the first topic, people shifted how they acted around stray/wild animals. Dog owners also became more cautious leading to more leashes and confinement. There became more precautions while hunting and any activity outdoors. Overall, everyone became more cautious.

Did society “learn” from the physical effect of the disease?

The physical effect of rabies without treatment is brutal and fatal. It was able to show a strong link between how animals can carry high risk diseases. It also taught society that rabies is not a mild disease whatsoever. This created a more proactive and strong culture of avoiding wild animal contact