I am currently suffering through two weeks of “night float” which gives me an unfortunate amount of time to spend trapped in a tiny “on-call” room with poor internet access. I was able to find this very interesting story about a 15 year old boy, in Brazil, who survived rabies!
Rabies is a viral illness that is fatal in almost every case. Very, very few people survive a case of rabies and this just shows the importance of those “rabies shots” after being bitten by an animal. There is also a vaccine to prevent rabies and it should be strongly considered by travelers to remote areas or those who handle animals. Unfortunately, there is an international rabies vaccine shortage and you can read more about this over at Dr. Auerbach’s blog.
Back to the boy in Brazil, who actually survived his infection. The boy was treated using a protocoldeveloped at the Medical College of Wisconsin and nicknamed “The Milwaukee Protocol”. Previously developed, this combination treatment of anti-virals, sedatives and anaesthesia, saved the life of a young girl in Milwaukee.
The MSNBC article mentions that the boy becomes on of the three confirmed cases of rabies to survive, ever. The physicians involved with his care are planning to publish.