Buzz
When asked to name the deadliest and most horrifying disease in the world, the average person in the Western world might immediately think of AIDS or cancer. However, those living in regions where packs of wild, rabid dogs scavenge through heaps of rotting trash would provide a different answer entirely. Rabies, a viral encephalitis that targets the brain, ultimately transforms its victims into mindless shells, where death becomes a merciful end. Despite the availability of vaccines, tens of thousands of lives are still lost to rabies annually.
10. The Breakthrough Vaccine
Without the contributions of French chemist and microbiologist Louis Pasteur, countless lives would likely have been lost. While he is most famous for creating the process of pasteurization, which prevents bacterial contamination, his work in the field of vaccines has saved millions of lives. Pasteur's rabies vaccine was developed by infecting rabbits with the virus, then killing them to weaken the virus enough to trigger the human immune system without causing death. The vaccine was first successfully used in 1885 on a nine-year-old boy named Joseph Meister, who had been attacked by a rabid dog.
Pasteur’s unwavering courage is noted in The Story of San Michele, the memoirs of Swedish doctor Axel Munthe. Munthe recalled, “[Pasteur] was completely fearless. Eager to collect a sample directly from the mouth of a rabid dog, I once watched him, with a glass tube held between his lips, carefully draw a few drops of deadly saliva from the mouth of a rabid bulldog held on the table by two assistants, their hands shielded by leather gloves.”
Pasteur, who tragically lost three of his five children to typhoid fever, was ruthlessly pragmatic in his research. The risk of being bitten during his work on the rabies vaccine was ever-present, and lab protocol dictated that anyone bitten would be immediately executed. A revolver was kept on-site, and staff were instructed to shoot anyone bitten in the head.
9. The Milwaukee Protocol
Before Pasteur’s contributions, rabies was considered an inescapable death sentence, as inevitable as the guillotine. Just a decade ago, without swift medical intervention, once symptoms began to show, doctors could only offer palliative care until death. This began to change in 2004 when 15-year-old Jeanna Giese was bitten on the finger by a bat in Fon du Lac, Wisconsin. The injury was minor, but a month later, Jeanna fell gravely ill with a fever and neurological issues such as blurred vision and slurred speech. Despite numerous treatments and tests, it wasn’t until later that the bite was identified as the cause.
The medical team at the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin opted for an innovative treatment for Jeanna—they placed her in a medically induced coma for six days, administering drugs to suppress brain activity. She was then given the antiviral medications ribavirin and amantadine, allowing her body to produce antibodies. After a month, she was declared free of the virus, becoming the first person to survive rabies without vaccination. Although her recovery was gradual and left her with some lasting effects, she went on to graduate from college in 2011.
This treatment became known as the “Milwaukee Protocol.” While it has been successful in a few other cases, it remains highly controversial in the medical community, particularly due to its exorbitant cost.
8. China’s Dog Slaughter
China has always had a peculiar relationship with dogs. Some of the most ancient and cherished breeds—such as chow chows, pugs, and Pekingese—are of Chinese origin, yet the Chinese have historically been known to consume dog meat. Dog ownership has become a symbol of status for the growing middle class in China, though the animals are seldom vaccinated. As a result, the rate of rabies infection has sharply increased.
After three fatalities from rabies in 2006, tensions reached a boiling point. On July 25, officials initiated a controversial campaign of slaughter that would horrify any animal lover, as nearly 50,000 dogs were rounded up and killed in Yunnan Province. These deaths were not quick or painless, but rather brutal executions through clubbing, hanging, and electrocution. Pet owners were offered 5 yuan (roughly $0.80 USD) to euthanize their own pets, and if they refused, their dogs were taken and beaten to death in front of them.
7. Uncontrollable Ejaculation
Rabies in humans typically begins with flu-like symptoms, which then escalate into a horrifying progression as the brain is slowly deteriorated. As the condition worsens, paralysis may set in, while the victim's mind is overtaken by fear, hallucinations, and a state of frenzied agitation.
A less commonly reported symptom in men is priapism, a condition where persistent erections occur, often accompanied by uncontrollable ejaculation. This can happen as many as 30 times a day and has been documented for centuries, dating back to second-century Greek physician Galen, who described the case of a porter who experienced this symptom continuously for three days before his death.
This condition has been documented in contemporary medical reports, such as this 2009 case cited by the CDC, involving a 42-year-old male physician bitten by a dog in India. After returning to Virginia, he became ill three months later. While the exact cause of the ejaculations remains unclear, it is believed to be linked to damage to the amygdaloid nucleus in the temporal pole of the brain.
6. Hydrophobia
A far more common, though equally bizarre symptom of rabies is hydrophobia, or fear of water. It typically begins with a sore throat and difficulty swallowing as the mouth fills with saliva. As the disease advances, the oropharyngeal muscles begin to clench painfully, and the person feels as though they are choking when attempting to drink. Eventually, this sensation becomes so intense that just the sight or mention of water causes violent spasms. The situation is worsened by the fact that the patient becomes severely dehydrated, feeling an overwhelming thirst while simultaneously fearing drinking.
The man in the video above—a 48-year-old patient at the National Institute of Infectious and Tropical Diseases in Hanoi, Vietnam—demonstrates a classic case of the terrifying hydrophobia. When offered fluids, he shakes uncontrollably and shows signs of intense pain as he tries to bring the cup to his lips.
5. ‘Hair Of The Dog’
In modern times, the phrase 'hair of the dog' usually refers to the practice of drinking a Bloody Mary to cure a hangover, but its original meaning was far stranger. In ancient cultures, it was believed that rabies could be treated by killing the dog responsible and placing its fur over the wound. It's easy to see that this was not an effective remedy, and in fact, attempting to kill the dog only increased the risk of being bitten again.
A more recent attempt at treating rabies involved the St. Hubert’s Key, named after the patron saint of hunters. This device resembled a long iron nail with an intricately designed head. When someone was bitten by a rabid dog, the key would be heated until it was glowing red. It would then be used to cauterize the wound, essentially burning the flesh. While its effectiveness is highly questionable, it's likely that it was used quickly in an attempt to stop the disease. More than a medical tool, it may have been seen as a protective amulet.
4. Zombies
There are several surprisingly scholarly articles that outline why traditional 'undead' zombies cannot exist. However, it is conceivable that an undiscovered or mutated disease could turn its victims into frenzied monsters. Rabies, which renders sufferers mindless in its advanced stages, could be a likely candidate for such a terrifying scenario. The virus has already shown an unsettling ability to evolve, as observed in the American Southwest.
Mutations of any kind could lead to catastrophe. While rabies is typically a slow-acting virus, a random mutation could cause it to rapidly spread through the central nervous system and attack the brain within hours instead of weeks. Though the disease is inefficiently transmitted via bites, if rabies were to combine its genetic code with influenza in a process called recombination, it could spread through the air. While this is unlikely to occur in nature, a laboratory-engineered weaponized disease is within the realm of possibility.
3. Whales And Opossums
All mammals, from the smallest mouse to the largest whale, are vulnerable to rabies. While there are no documented cases of rabid whales and the chances of them contracting the disease are extraordinarily slim, it is not entirely impossible.
In Cape Cod, Massachusetts, the growing coyote population has started to target the local harp seals, which sometimes come into contact with whales. If a rabid seal were to bite a whale, the virus could potentially spread. Given that rabies progresses very slowly through the central nervous system—at a rate of 0.8–2 centimeters (0.3–0.8 in) per day—it could take years for the virus to reach the whale's brain.
The humble opossum, frequently seen squashed on American roads, displays a unique response to rabies. These creatures have unusually low body temperatures, which makes it challenging for the virus to multiply. In addition, they are highly resistant to other mammalian diseases, such as distemper, parvo, and hepatitis.
2. The India Epidemic
In the United States, rabies-related human deaths are incredibly rare, with only two or three cases reported each year. However, rabies remains widespread in the developing world. The World Health Organization reports that over 55,000 people die from rabies annually, mainly in Africa and Asia. Of these, more than a third—around 20,000—occur in India alone.
A significant factor in the rising stray dog population is the sharp decline in the vulture numbers. With vultures no longer around to feast on carcasses, an abundance of food is left for stray dogs to thrive on. Despite the fact that hundreds of thousands of people, many of whom are children, are bitten by stray dogs annually, legislation passed in 2001 prohibits their killing due to Hindu customs. India now holds the title of having the largest stray dog population in the world, with many of these dogs reverting to a wild, feral state resembling dingoes.
1. Bats
Bats often make the list of the most frightening creatures in the world, but this reputation is somewhat misleading. The average bat weighs just a few ounces, and even the largest species, known as 'flying foxes,' rarely exceed 1.8 kilograms (4 lbs) and typically feed on fruit.
However, as demonstrated by the case of Jeanna Giese, bats are common carriers of rabies. This is due to their wide geographic distribution and tendency to form large colonies. When infected, bats may lose their ability to fly and are more likely to come into contact with humans, especially children who might pick one up if they find it lying on the ground.
According to the CDC, bats are the primary carriers of rabies in the United States—although raccoons and skunks are reported more frequently—and rabid bats can be found in all 48 continental states. Bats are often so small that their bites may go unnoticed, so experts advise that if you wake up to find a bat in your room, you should seek rabies treatment just to be on the safe side.
