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Are Muscle Twitching, Tingling Sensation In The Fingers And Fever Symptoms Of Rabies?
Question: Hi!! D dog scratched me on april 11th. It was one ,no bleeding and so I din't take PEP. But d dog showed symptoms of rabies after 23 days and died after 28 days of the exposure. The dog was healthy at the time of exposure and also during the 10 days incubation period. Is it possible dat the dog was shedding d virus at d time of exposure? Can rabid dogs transmit d disease during the incubation period? I am scared. I m having fever now flu like also muscle twitches, and pulsations on my body..also tingling sensation on my left hand fingers. I also Sumtimes hav a strange sensation and mild pain at d site where I was scratched. Is it related to rabies?
Brief Answer:
Extremely unlikely to be Rabies.
Detailed Answer:
HI
Greetings from Dr.Divakara.P
First of all relax. The more you worry you mind shall produce more physical symptoms .
First of all it was just a scratch and there was no bleeding , right ? Then it is extremely unlikely for you to get Rabies ( even if the dog had rabies )
Second I need to know what made you think that the dog showed rabies symptoms and its death is due to Rabies only ?
Was that a street dog or a pet dog ?
Kindly revert back with these details.
As per your questions are concerned ,
-- Yes , there is a possibility that the dog might have been in incubation period.
-- Rabid dog can transmit Virus during incubation period.
Your symptoms could be due to just a simple viral infection or it could even be due to Anxiety. I am not telling that possibility of Rabies is ruled out but its possibility is extremely unlikely.
Kindly revert back with details asked.
Regards.
Extremely unlikely to be Rabies.
Detailed Answer:
HI
Greetings from Dr.Divakara.P
First of all relax. The more you worry you mind shall produce more physical symptoms .
First of all it was just a scratch and there was no bleeding , right ? Then it is extremely unlikely for you to get Rabies ( even if the dog had rabies )
Second I need to know what made you think that the dog showed rabies symptoms and its death is due to Rabies only ?
Was that a street dog or a pet dog ?
Kindly revert back with these details.
As per your questions are concerned ,
-- Yes , there is a possibility that the dog might have been in incubation period.
-- Rabid dog can transmit Virus during incubation period.
Your symptoms could be due to just a simple viral infection or it could even be due to Anxiety. I am not telling that possibility of Rabies is ruled out but its possibility is extremely unlikely.
Kindly revert back with details asked.
Regards.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Yogesh D
Minor scratch with no bleeding.the dog had hypersalivation, chills, lethargic , stayed mostly in the dark,ran around aimlessly on hearing loud sound,became thin.. all dese lasted for 2 to 3 days and den died. D dog stayed in our hostel. Mostly stays inside but comes in contact with other dogs. I have read in the internet that if a dog bites someone and suppose he dsnt take PEP ,then the dog can be observed for 10 days. If he is alive after 10 days den PEP isn't necessary. So how tru is that? In my case the dog died after 28 days so am I completely safe?
Brief Answer:
Dog had rabies but manifested slowly.
Detailed Answer:
HI
Well yes the symptoms the dog showed are very much classic of Rabies. Well what you have read on internet is true but exceptions are always there. Sometimes the incubation period is long and the manifestation of Rabies takes more time to appear.
So you are not safe as of the time of death of dog is concerned . But as of exposure to the dog bite is concerned , it was just a minor scratch with no bleeding . So the chances of you acquiring Rabies is extremely low ( even though the dog is considered to be having Rabies at the time of bite )
However just to be on the safer side I recommend you to get a Rabies vaccination done for yourself.
Hope this information was useful to you.
Any clarifications feel free to ask.
Regards.
Dog had rabies but manifested slowly.
Detailed Answer:
HI
Well yes the symptoms the dog showed are very much classic of Rabies. Well what you have read on internet is true but exceptions are always there. Sometimes the incubation period is long and the manifestation of Rabies takes more time to appear.
So you are not safe as of the time of death of dog is concerned . But as of exposure to the dog bite is concerned , it was just a minor scratch with no bleeding . So the chances of you acquiring Rabies is extremely low ( even though the dog is considered to be having Rabies at the time of bite )
However just to be on the safer side I recommend you to get a Rabies vaccination done for yourself.
Hope this information was useful to you.
Any clarifications feel free to ask.
Regards.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Nagamani Ng
Sir if the risk of acquiring rabies through minor scratch is low, den it's how much low? Hav you seen or heard of any cases of rabies which was transmitted by minor scratch where there wasn't any bleeding? I have taken pep from may 10th n I've completed it. 5 doses. Should I take d 6 dose at 90 days? Since I've taken pep after a month of exposure is it going to help? Dir I had taken pep earlier in 2007 and 2010 5 doses each. Do I still have the neutralizing antibodies n will it help dis tym?
Brief Answer:
Previous vaccine does give neutralizing antibodies.
Detailed Answer:
HI
Well , I have not come across any person with minor scratch developing rabies. Oh you have taken PEP. Then no need to worry at all.
Yes there will be some neutralizing antibodies due to previous vaccination. Infact that is the reason , if a person has taken complete course of rabies vaccine ( 5 Shots ) then for subsequent dog bites only 2 booster dose is sufficient. It in turn indicates that there exists protective neutralizing antibodies from previous vaccine.
In my opinion there is nothing that you need to worry about .
Relax.
Previous vaccine does give neutralizing antibodies.
Detailed Answer:
HI
Well , I have not come across any person with minor scratch developing rabies. Oh you have taken PEP. Then no need to worry at all.
Yes there will be some neutralizing antibodies due to previous vaccination. Infact that is the reason , if a person has taken complete course of rabies vaccine ( 5 Shots ) then for subsequent dog bites only 2 booster dose is sufficient. It in turn indicates that there exists protective neutralizing antibodies from previous vaccine.
In my opinion there is nothing that you need to worry about .
Relax.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Sir I started pep 1 month after the exposure.. I did not take it immediately.so is it going to help.? How long does d virus stay outside d dog body? So is there any possibility that d dog didn't have saliva on its nails n d virus must have Been inactivAted? N do all d people who have been exposed to d virus acquire rabies? M a bit scared. N d incubation period is so long n variable that i'l have to wait for many years to be certain that m totally fine. M also worried wen I spend my time wid my luved ones dey will b exposed because of me in case sumthng happens to me. Wen I'm wid my bf I fear all these n even fear to kiss him n all . M depressed.
Brief Answer:
You are adequately protected.
Detailed Answer:
HI
I think it is immaterial to know whether the dog had licked its nails or not or for how long the virus stays outside the dog's body. Because neither you ( or me ) can tell whether the dog had saliva on its nails and if so whether it had licked its nails just before scratching you or hours before .
I think you have become very anxious about the dog bite . I have already said that your exposure is very insignificant to get Rabies. More over you have taken a full course of rabies vaccination in the past ( which would have given protection for the recent bite )
In addition you have taken one more course of Rabies vaccine ( though slightly late ) which also gives you additional protection. In my opinion you are adequately protected .
But the phobia of getting Rabies is haunting you and making your life miserable. I recommend you to take a counselling from a Psychiatrist. It will help you a lot.
Hope this information was useful to you.
Any further clarifications feel free to ask.
Regards.
You are adequately protected.
Detailed Answer:
HI
I think it is immaterial to know whether the dog had licked its nails or not or for how long the virus stays outside the dog's body. Because neither you ( or me ) can tell whether the dog had saliva on its nails and if so whether it had licked its nails just before scratching you or hours before .
I think you have become very anxious about the dog bite . I have already said that your exposure is very insignificant to get Rabies. More over you have taken a full course of rabies vaccination in the past ( which would have given protection for the recent bite )
In addition you have taken one more course of Rabies vaccine ( though slightly late ) which also gives you additional protection. In my opinion you are adequately protected .
But the phobia of getting Rabies is haunting you and making your life miserable. I recommend you to take a counselling from a Psychiatrist. It will help you a lot.
Hope this information was useful to you.
Any further clarifications feel free to ask.
Regards.
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Veerisetty Shyamkumar
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