Rabies Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Rabies - Research Paper Example This research paper outlines the rabies disease, its history, signs and symptoms. Rabies was well identified in Europe at some stage in the medieval times, and was in all probability transmitted to the New World, where it became widespread in North America and the West Indies by the eighteenth century and in the early nineteenth century it reached South America as well. Record of the disease in Asia is not well recognized but rabies has been in existence since the early times in China and India. Scientific studies on the disease were started in the year 1803 by Zinke who discovered the transmission of the disease by saliva. Louis Pasteur had developed the view that rabies is a disease of the CNS. Vaccinations were thereby worked on and gradually discovered over time. The time period between the initial infection and the onset of the symptoms usually takes around four to eight weeks or it may be a year at times, depending on the distance between the CNS and the site of infection. The initial symptoms in a rabies disease include fever, headache, fatigue, pain at the place of the wound, and even loss of appetite. Symptoms with respect to the two different forms of rabies have been identified. The symptoms of furious rabies include anxiety and agitation, neck becoming rigid, seizures, tears and saliva overproduced, convulsions, enlarged pupils, unusual understanding of light and temperatures, fear of water, insomnia, partial paralysis, hallucinations, abnormal mental clarity, and confusions.