Rabies is 100 percent preventable with vaccinations if patients receive them before the onset of symptoms, including hallucinations, delirium, muscle spasms, paralysis and hydrophobia. Yet an estimated 55,000 people, mostly in Asia and Africa, die from it annually because of misdiagnosis or because the illness is not recognized until it has taken hold, according to the journal Neurologic Clinics. Often, patients dismiss the potential seriousness of bites, cannot afford follow-up medical treatment or, in some situations, are unaware they've been bitten, as was the case of a 13-year-old Connecticut girl who died of rabies in 1995.
Vaccine shortages as one manufacturer, Bridgewater, N.J.–based sanofi–aventis, upgrades its factory to meet U.S. Food and Drug Administration requirements, and chronic shortfalls of immunoglobulin also play a role in the fatalities. The vaccine-immunoglobulin regimen costs $1,200 to $2,000 in industrialized nations and $100 to $300 in developing countries—an out-of-reach sum for many people, Willoughby says.
Though it's promising that Gomez is still alive, "The hope that the outcome will necessarily be the same as with Jeanna, particularly in a developing country, is expecting a bit much," laments Charles Rupprecht, chief of the CDC's Rabies Program
Willoughby acknowledges that even if Giese's success is reproducible—and the Milwaukee protocol perfected—it likely will only be available for use in 10 percent of cases, because of limited medical facilities in developing countries.
"Re-creating that in a place stricken with poverty, you get into ethical issues of whether we should do this when we should be about prevention; and does that society have the ability to rehabilitate a patient who may survive but with severe [side effects]?" Rupprecht says. "Jeanna created several ethical issues for all of us to deal with this bug."
Giese says that the fourth-year anniversary of her illness has brought up some bitter memories that she'll probably never shake, but she's glad to be alive—and doing as well as she is.
"It takes some getting used to, but I've kind of come to terms with the fact that I'm the only…[survivor]," she says. "At 15, I never would have thought that anything like this would ever happen, and that I lived is just amazing."
An animal lover who owns a dog, two rabbits and six birds, she hopes to one day open a sanctuary in Fond du Lac for endangered animals, including "big predators like lions and tigers and wolves," and maybe even bats, too.
"I'm not scared of them at all," Giese says of bats. "I'm more passionate about animals than I was before. Animals are my happiness and reason for living."
Additional reporting by Barbara Juncosa
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13 Comments
Add CommentAfter reading this news, I came up with an idea that another Nobelist for medicine will be born soon. Despite the restrictions of the method performed on that little girl, we may believe in that rabies will not be the horrible killer in the near future.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI seem to recall a young boy from Pittsburgh, PA. surviving rabies a couple of decades ago.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHe was also bitten by a rabid bat but was unable to take the vaccine because he was allergic to the vaccine available at the time.
His symptoms were treated as they arose and he was placed in a coma to prevent seizures and other symptoms.
I'm sure I read about this many, many years ago, and if true it would mean this young lady isn't the first or only survivor of full blown rabies.
Anyone else remember anything regarding this? Or am I just getting senile? ;-)
The boy's name was Matthew Winkler. He did get the rabies vaccine, but developed rabies anyway, probably because the vaccine was started too late. But the vaccine gave him a partial immunity so he was able to fight the disease off. This happened in 1971.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThank you,
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI googled Matthew Winkler and found this article from the FDA:
"In 1970 Matthew Winkler was exposed [to rabies], treated [with postexposure vaccine], and because vaccines were not as good then, experienced a vaccine failure. He recovered despite the vaccine failure, which is a far different thing than catching the disease, [not being treated,] and recovering," he points out. "Some people question to this day whether that case meets all the criteria [of a human known to survive rabies without treatment]."
I guess I forgot all the facts, thanks for the information, it really is appreciated.
Hi, even before these 2 cases, there was a boy named Abdul Karim in India in the early 1900s perhaps who was treated after he was declared "no cure for him".
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisActually, in the early 1900s another boy Abdul Karim survived Rabies after he was labelled "no cure for him". I have his account, if anyone needs it, ask for it. Its amazing.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIs it possible to get infected by an animal who have not shown the symptom of rabies? or maybe still in the incubation period? I live in an epidemic area and two week ago had met 3 astray puppies not far from my place. One died couple of days after that, I thought the caused is distemper so I brought the other 2 home. After reading more about rabies..., I have a second thought, cause the symptom is a bit similar with the description above. It is almost 10 days now and they seem fine, eat a lot and play a lot. I just a bit worry.... can someone give me an information? thanks a lot
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisJeanna Giese's parents were very stupid if they knew she received a bat bite and didn't seek prophylactic treatment. They only cleaned the wound? They could have gotten her much less expensive treatment before she became ill. They should have at least sought medical advice regarding a bat bite. It's so sad that people in this country are so uneducated. Poor children suffer people's idiocy. They are LUCKY that the girl survived. I hope they know that and make an effort not to be so stupid.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI think God must have been watching out for Jeanna. Rabies is such an intractable and horrible disease, no one survives more than a few weeks (at the very most) It sounds like she was nearly dead when she got to the hospital, although her case study says that she had sought medical help early in the course of the disease. God shows us that he still perform miracles!! Still, I am extremely hopeful for the people who suffer from this horrible virus, clearly the worst on the face of the Earth.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI remembered Matthew Winkler's story incompletely too and searching for it, brought me here. Thank you for supplying his name.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisMatthew Winkler was featured in a Reader's Digest issue in the early 1970s. i think the title of the article is "The Boy Who Didn't Die." i was in elementary school at that time.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI arrived here by Google search "human rabies survivor," because I remembered the Mattew Winkler story, but not his name or dates. Thanks for posting, alamosaurus. I didn't know he was placed in a coma, but followed long enough to know any light, sound or other stimulus resulted in severe convulsions, so I'm glad they did so. Thankfully, Total Parenteral Nutrition is also much better now, so patients' bodies can be better supported through a long convalescence. This plus steroids and IV hypertonic solution to reduce brain swelling if it occurs offers real hope that more people may survive.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI arrived here by Google search "human rabies survivor," because I remembered Matthew Winkler's story, but not his name or the date. I didn't know he'd been placed in a coma, but followed long enough to know that any light, sound or other stimulous resulted in dangerous convulsions, so I'm glad they did. That, plus modern Total Parenteral Nutrition, steroids and hypertonic IV solution for possible brain swelling give me hope that more sufferers may survive.
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