What is Rabies?
Rabies is an acute viral disease that affects the central nervous system (CNS) — the brain and spinal cord 1— and is almost always fatal once symptoms appear. The disease is caused by the rabies virus, which belongs to the genus Lyssavirus in the Rhabdoviridae family.
The virus is typically transmitted to humans through the bite or scratch of an infected animal, most commonly through saliva. In many parts of the world, domestic dogs are the main source of rabies transmission to humans, but other animals like cats, bats, foxes, and raccoons can also carry the virus.