Cat Bite: Should You Get Rabies Vaccine?

① How Long is the Incubation Period?

For periods of 3 months or less: 8090% of cases;

Between 6 months to 1 year: 4%10% of cases;

Over 1 year: 1%;

According to the World Health Organization, the longest recorded incubation period is 6 years.

② Why Such a Long Latency?

The reason for this prolonged latency is the virus's strong affinity for nerve tissue.

The process: RV (representative strain of rabies virus) invades → Reproduces for 46 days → Initially invades nearby nerves → Spreads to the central nervous system (involving the brain) → Takes control of the command center and then begins to attack various organs → Outcome.

Important Note: The number of virus particles entering the body, the immediate response to the bite, individual immune resistance, and the distance from the head and neck to the bite site can all influence the time until symptoms appear.

③ Mechanism of Pathogenicity

RV uses its glycoproteins and neurospecific receptors to bind, which affects the synthesis of proteins necessary for maintaining neural function, ultimately leading to neural disarray.

The glycoproteins (G protein) and matrix proteins (M protein) of RV can induce apoptosis in cells.

RV not only evades the immune system's pursuit but also causes it to become disorganized, allowing the virus to take advantage of the chaos.

④ Symptoms Arise Due to These Factors

Manic behavior, anxiety, fear of wind, hydrophobia, drooling, spasms of the pharyngeal muscles, mental disturbances, and paralysis.

Remember, rabies is preventable but incurable. If there's any skin breakage, there's a possibility of the virus entering the body, so it's advisable to get vaccinated.

How to Determine a Break: If there's a painful reaction when wiping with iodine alcohol, it's likely that there's a break, even if it's not visible to the naked eye.

Q: My cat has been vaccinated for rabies. Do I still need to get vaccinated?

A: Vaccination does not guarantee the presence of antibodies at the moment; having antibodies does not mean there's no virus present at the moment.