Your Odds
Rabies can almost always be prevented if immunization is
given within 2 days of the bite. With each additional day that passes, the
chances of prevention decrease. However, immunization can still be effective
even when given weeks or months following a bite but prior to the appearance of
symptoms.
Once symptoms have appeared, survival is rare. Coma and death
occur 3 to 20 days after the onset of symptoms. Because almost 100% of
individuals who develop symptoms die, rabies has one of the highest fatality
rates of any infectious disease. Human infection from rabies in the US is
extremely rare because of aggressive animal control and vaccination
programs.