The Victorian War on Rabies

datakan•about 2 hours ago

Strange article. So much focus on dogs with only one mention of bats who are the primary carrier and spreader of rabies.

cryzinger•about 1 hour ago

Dogs were the #1 way for humans to catch rabies for most of human history, which I didn't realize until I read Rabid: A Cultural History of the World's Most Diabolical Virus.

Hikikomori•about 2 hours ago

The first recorded rabies from a bat was in 2002 so not that surprising that it wasn't a focus on victorian England.

datakan•about 2 hours ago

The Vampire Bat Link (1911): The very first connection between bats and rabies was made by scientist Antonio Carini in Brazil. He discovered the virus in cattle that had died from a paralyzing sickness after being bitten by vampire bats.

The First Confirmed Bat (1921): Researchers Haupt and Rehaag officially confirmed rabies in a bat captured by a farmer. The farmer witnessed the bat biting a calf.

The United States Discovery (1953): Rabies virus infection in insect-eating (insectivorous) bats was first recognized in the United States in 1953.

You make a good point but your year is off. For the purposes of the article though it should have been more evident. Other animals tend to get it from bats because bats are the primary carriers. They didn't understand that back then but we do now and it's worth talking about.

nephihaha•about 2 hours ago

Dogs were seen as the main vector right into the 1980s. Rightly so. A dog is more likely to attack you than a bat.

datakan•about 1 hour ago

But dogs typically get it from the bat. I don't understand the logic

Tade0•about 1 hour ago

Bats carry, but don't develop rabies so they don't usually attack dogs on their own - except for self defense, when they're attacked by a dog.

Rabid dogs are typically aggressive and spread the infection on their own.

Jtsummers•21 minutes ago

It's not that hard to understand.

Humans rarely get infected by bats.

Bat populations are large and not practically reachable, so vaccination is impractical. Eradication is undesired because they serve a useful niche in our ecology.

Dogs are the primary way humans get (got? with higher vaccination rates for dogs this has been skewed, like how the most common causes of death have changed as things like antibiotics were developed and various medical interventions for certain cancers and other conditions) infected. Dogs are typically socialized, so vaccination is practical. Dog populations are smaller and generally reachable. Feral dogs can still be a problem, but catch & release with vaccination and sterilization can reduce their population and risk factor over time (similar to what is done with cats).

So if you want the highest impact intervention, between dogs and bats the place to intervene is the dogs since you cannot, practically, intervene with bats (by vaccination or eradication).

nephihaha•38 minutes ago

I've been bitten or attacked by dogs multiple times. Can't say the same about bats. Maybe vampire bats but I have never visited their range.

retrac•about 1 hour ago

We're in a prolonged guerilla conflict in Canada. We are winning but the end is not in sight yet.

In Ontario every year the Ministry of Forestry distributes several million doses of rabies vaccine for wildlife. The goal is to immunize the majority of skunks, foxes, raccoons and the like, particularly in populated areas.

They air drop edible pellets with the live rabies vaccine; they are labeled "do not touch do not eat" because it can vaccinate most susceptible mammals, including humans.

never_inline•about 1 hour ago

Maybe I am stupid to have to ask this, but what's the problem if a human gets vaccinated by accident?

pfdietz•about 1 hour ago

The live adenovirus (engineered to express a rabies protein) is not entirely safe. It won't give you rabies, but it does infect you. For wild animals, it's ok if some small fraction die from it.

They should spread some of these around my town in central NY; we've had rabid animals recently (cat and fox).

datakan•about 1 hour ago

The pellets can cause localized infections or rashes to humans. More dangerous to certain groups like small children, pregnant women and people with immune system issues.

The Victorian War on Rabies

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