I, personally, have only known of one person who died of rabies - she was a Peace Corps worker living in Machakos. She had taken in a stray puppy that developed rabies. The rabies virus is very weak and it has to find its way from the skin surface into the nervous system. This is done either through a bite or saliva on broken skin. It can take up to six months to develop in both animals and humans.
Rabies is preventable if care is taken.
If bitten by a strange animal, or an unvaccinated one wash the wound immediately and seek medical advice. The material contained on this Web site comes to you via IRIN, a UN humanitarian information unit, but may not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations or its agencies. Quotations or extracts should include attribution to the original sources. All graphics and images on this site may not be re-produced without the express permission of the original owner.