Rabies vaccine was first invented as early as around 1885 by Louis Pasteur. I was just wondering why rabies virus has very insignificant medical advancement and is still 100% lethal with no cure.
In: Biology
The rabies vaccine is also the cure for rabies. This treatment can be given before or after exposure and if given promptly (within 10 days of exposure), it is 100% effective. If an individual is already vaccinated, such as those that work regularly with wildlife, then only a booster is needed after exposure.
Rabies is a sneaky virus. It infects the nervous system in an asymptomatic way which allows it to hide from the body’s immune system. It slowly makes its way to the brain, crosses the blood-brain barrier, and promptly treats the delicious brain matter as a buffet.
The human body is capable of fighting off the rabies virus after symtpoms present but the aggressive nature of the virus means that death almost always occurs before the body can build up its own immune response. Rapid medical intervention intended to protect the brain from the virus can allow the body to fight off the virus naturally but success is very low (around 15%) and severe neurological damage is almost inevitable.
The reason why there isn’t a post-symptomatic rapid treatment for rabies is because the pesky blood-brain barrier
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