What is Rabies? Symptoms and treatment Image Source: Pexels free images Rabies is a viral, zoonotic infection that affects the nervous system and can be fatal and life-threatening. The saliva of the infected animals may transmit the virus, lyssa virus to humans through bite.  In rabies, there is inflammation of the brain, encephalitis. The rabies virus enters the central nervous and peripheral nervous system and starts producing infection in the brain and spine.  Animal bites are the most common cause of rabies. Both domestic and wild animals are capable of transmitting the deadly rabies virus by biting humans. In general, most of the cases of rabies account for the bites by stray dogs.   The virus responsible for cauing rabies can cross the blood brain barrier very rapidly once it reaches our brain via blood stream. Once it reaches the brain, the survival chances decrease and the fatality rate increases.  It can even cause death of the person, if not treated pr...