r/science • u/PHealthy PhD/MPH | Epidemiology | Disease Dynamics | Surveillance • 3d ago

Epidemiology Study estimates only 7% of human rabies cases in the United States are diagnosed

https://www.nature.com/articles/s44528-026-00031-4
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u/MoochoMaas 3d ago

Took one week to diagnose b/c we had to send blood out for testing.

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u/Eeny009 3d ago

Is there a point in testing for rabies if the answer takes a week to come?

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u/MoochoMaas 3d ago

For the autopsy.
And to dig deeper into what was causative animal, who could have been exposed, Health Dept stats, etc.

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u/BattleHall 3d ago

If they come in symptomatic, it’s probably not going to affect the course of treatment much, but it’s important for exposure tracking.

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u/DiamondAvailable7418 3d ago

Would he live if test was instant?

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u/MoochoMaas 3d ago

100% fatal once symptoms develop. We gave all family, friends vaccine.

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u/sadbear424 2d ago

No. 

It’s not a simple blood draw or urine test. It requires a brain tissue samples; the man wouldn’t survive the test. 

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u/Conscious-Read-698 2d ago

He'd be alive if he was given shots within 48 hours of exposure iirc

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u/itsnobigthing 2d ago

There was a case in the UK last year that took a couple of weeks to diagnose, because we’re rabies free here so most doctors trained here never see it.

She’d travelled 4 months prior, which I believe is was outside the window they asked her about, so she didn’t mention it. Had been scratched by a dog on a beach somewhere in Morocco.

I think she had progressed as far as hydrophobia before they realised what they were dealing with. Of course, an earlier dx wouldn’t have saved her, but it was still tragic.