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Why is human-to-human rabies transmission so rare?

Best Answers

People with late stage-rabies infections become very ill, so they often seek medical attention. Usually you can work out clinically that they have rabies so they are treated very carefully, so nobody gets infected by their saliva. For rabies to be transmitted you need to have contact with rabies-saliva and your own circulation, i.e. read more

“Only” 60,000 people get rabies every year. (It’s still too many, but it’s not that huge.) Most of the time, getting rabies is not a surprise; someone knows they were bitten by an animal. Therefore, the people around them know they are at risk. If you are expecting rabies, you can take precautions to avoid contact with saliva. read more

The only well-documented cases of rabies caused by human-to-human transmission occurred among eight recipients of transplanted corneas, and recently among three recipients of solid organs. Guidelines for acceptance of suitable cornea and organ donations, as well as the rarity of human rabies in the United States, reduce this risk. read more

Human-to-human transmission. A bite from a rabid animal (an animal infected with the rabies virus) is the most common form of rabies transmission. Non-bite exposure and human-to-human exposure are both rare. read more