Did you know that the first recorded case of human-to-human rabies transmission was in 1977? It happened in the United States, and the victim was a young girl who received a corneal transplant from a donor who had died of rabies. It's a pretty gross thought, but it's also kind of fascinating.
Rabies is a super rare disease, but when it does happen, it's usually pretty dramatic. People who contract rabies often experience flu-like symptoms, followed by numbness and paralysis. And if left untreated, it's almost always fatal. But hey, at least it's not boring, right?
Now, you might be wondering how likely you are to contract rabies from another human. The answer is pretty unlikely. In fact, according to the WHO, there have been only a handful of reported cases of human-to-human rabies transmission in the past few decades. So, you can breathe a sigh of relief - you're probably not going to get rabies from your coworker or neighbor.
Rabies Transmission
But here's the thing: rabies is still a major problem in many parts of the world. In some countries, dogs are the primary carriers of the virus, and people are at risk of getting bitten or scratched. So, while human-to-human transmission is rare, the risk of getting rabies from an animal is still very real.
