Rabies is severe encephalitis transmitted to humans by the bite of a rabid animal, usually a dog or various wild mammals that form natural reservoirs. Exposure to certain species of bats, even without a known bite, can also lead to rabies. Rabies is a fatal viral disease transmitted from animals to humans. It causes more than 35,000 human deaths per year. Among the diseases of viral origin, rabies is unique in its distribution and range of victims since it can afflict all warm-blooded animals. Children are particularly susceptible to get rabies as of their small stature and they have no fear of animals, so they are bitten easily. The interaction between the virus and the host population has facilitated the survival of the disease. The rabies virus (RV) has not changed in any significant way and has been capable of taking advantage of conditions suited to the continuance of rabies. Infection by RV is invariably lethal in the absence of protective immune response which, however, can contribute to the pathogenesis of rabies. Pro- inflammatory cytokines might affect, directly or indirectly, the levels of neurotrophins, growth factors, neurotransmitters and neurotoxins in the brain by activating glia, neurons, and vascular and immune cells. 

Keywords: Rabies; Vaccine; Post exposure prophylaxis.