The first symptoms of rabies may be very similar to those of the flu including general weakness or discomfort, fever, or headache. These symptoms may last for days.
There might also be itching, prickling, or discomfort at the site of the bite, witch may lead too the symptoms of cerebral dysfunction, anxiety, confusion, and agitation within days. As the disease progresses, the person infected may experience delirium, abnormal behavior, hallucinations, and insomnia.
The acute period of disease typically ends after two to ten days. Once clinical signs of rabies appear, the disease is nearly always fatal, and treatment is typically supportive.
Disease prevention includes administration of both passive antibody, through an injection of human immune globulin and a round of injections with the rabies vaccine.
Once a person begins to exhibit signs of the disease, survival is rare. To date less than 10 documented cases of human survival from clinical rabies have been reported and only two have not had a history of pre- or posxposure.