Florida residents love their dogs, and they’ll do everything in their power to keep them safe and healthy. Veterinarians make sure that pets are up-to-date with their vaccinations so that the animals, the owners, and the community at large can remain safe. Thanks to vaccines, canine rabies was eliminated from the United States in 2004. In spite of that fact, the disease remains at epidemic proportions in 122 countries around the world. This means that Americans visiting those countries could be at risk if they don’t get rabies shots before they visit one of those countries.
Because of the fact that rabies is essentially nonexistent in this country, people are sometimes misdiagnosed when they show up at emergency rooms with symptoms. Misdiagnosed illnesses open the door for medical malpractice lawsuits because a medical mistake often has serious or deadly repercussions.
What happens when someone with rabies gets misdiagnosed?
Rabies is a viral disease transmitted through the bite of an infected animal. It infects the central nervous system of mammals. Once that happens, it ultimately causes death. When a human gets bitten and infected by a rabid animal, the early symptoms they experience resemble many other types of conditions. Some of those symptoms include headache, fever, and general weakness.
Due to these symptoms, people may get misdiagnosed with things like the flu or a cold. The symptoms get progressively worse as the infection works its way through the body. The infected person starts experiencing issues like confusion, sleep paralysis, insomnia, hallucinations, hypersalivation, the fear of water, difficulty swallowing, and agitation. Once these hard-core symptoms hit, death is usually around the corner. Even though only nine people have died from rabies in the past 10 years, it’s still important for people to get immediate medical attention as soon as they get bitten by a dog.
Where can people go for information for help with medical misdiagnoses?
A misdiagnosis is a serious matter. A misdiagnosis results in the loss of precious time needed for dealing with the real medical issue. Victims may benefit by working with attorneys who have experience with this type of case.