PODCAST · science

Still Mad: Why Rabies Won't Die

by Cassandra Myers

Close your eyes and imagine a clear sunny day in your yard. You’re sitting in the grass with a cold drink in your hand and a book in your lap, looking up through your sunglasses every couple of minutes to check on your child playing across the street with the neighbors. You’re about to turn the page when you suddenly hear a cry. A stray dog is running away from your child, who is now holding their elbow, wailing. “He bit me!” They yell. You take them inside to clean the wound. Your kid is back outside within the hour with a bandaged elbow. You go back to your book. Two months later, your child starts hallucinating, acting erratically. Within days, they’re dead. You can open your eyes now. Thankfully, this hasn’t happened to you. But this is a true story, a tragedy parents around the world have had to experience. Rabies has existed since before written history. But we’ve had the ability to prevent it for 140 years. So why is it still one of the world’s deadliest diseases?