Girl Is First to Survive Rabies Without a Shot | NYT | 11.25.04
A Wisconsin teenager is the first human ever to survive rabies without vaccination, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said yesterday, after she received a desperate and novel type of therapy.
Last month, doctors at the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin in Wauwatosa, a suburb of Milwaukee, put the critically ill girl into a drug-induced coma and gave her antiviral drugs, although it is not clear which, if any, of the four medicines contributed to her surprising recovery. …
Jeanna, of Fond du Lac, was bitten by a bat at a church service on Sept. 12. She did not visit a doctor and so was not vaccinated, as is standard medical practice for such an exposure. …
On Oct. 18, she was admitted to the hospital with fluctuating consciousness, slurred speech and other symptoms typical of full-blown rabies.
Rabies is caused by a virus in secretions, like saliva, from an infected animal. The vaccine, which stimulates antibodies to the virus, eliminates the chance of getting the disease if it is administered within days after the initial exposure. Once symptoms develop, generally after a few weeks, the shots are much less effective. They are useless when the rabies is advanced, so doctors opted in Jeanna’s case for the experimental treatment. …
Rabies at eMedicine (Consumer, Professional)