I have rabies, what should I do?

I believe that many people always seek help from doctors, asking what to do if they get rabies. Rabies is not a terminal illness, and it is not hopeless after it occurs. Rabies can be treated through some reasonable methods, but if you suffer from rabies obsessive-compulsive disorder, you will always think that you have rabies. Even if you are cured, you will still worry about the presence of toxins. This requires psychological adjustment.

According to the "Rabies Post-Exposure Treatment Work Specifications (Trial)" issued by the Ministry of Health on October 8, 2006, rabies exposure is divided into the following three levels according to the nature and severity of exposure, and different treatment principles are adopted for each level:

Level I refers to contact, feeding of animals or licking of intact skin, with the degree of exposure being none. The principle of treatment is that no treatment is required if the medical history is reliable.

Level II refers to light bites on exposed skin or minor scratches or abrasions without bleeding. The degree of exposure is mild and the principle of treatment is to immediately treat the wound and administer rabies vaccine.

Grade III is defined as any of the following: single or multiple penetrating bites or scratches on the skin; licking of broken skin; contamination of mucous membranes with bodily fluids. If the degree of exposure is serious, the principle of treatment is to immediately treat the wound and inject rabies vaccine and rabies passive immunization preparations (animal antiserum or human immunoglobulin).

With the above treatment, most exposed persons will avoid developing rabies. However, one thing is that no matter what level of exposure, if the animal remains healthy during the 10-day observation period, or is confirmed to be rabies-negative by a reliable laboratory using correct diagnostic techniques, treatment should be terminated. This shows that the survival of the animal is of decisive significance for the later exclusion diagnosis. However, given that once rabies occurs, the mortality rate is close to 100%, the following recommendations are made for patients with the above conditions:

1. Start the full course of rabies vaccination as soon as possible;

2. Exclude other diseases that may cause similar symptoms;

3. Observe closely.