Rabies (and Autism)

I have discussed rabies before. In Attack of the Hound of Malembi. Or, “Whose are these people, anyway?” I discussed a personal encounter with a rabid dog, which killed my cat and bit six friend. In Ode to Rocky I discuss an encounter with a cute little raccoon which probably did not have rabies, but since this was during the Great Rabid Raccoon Scare a few years back he got busted anyway.

And now, we have Skeptically Speaking #190 RABID ... last Sunday's show which is now a podcast available for you to download.

This week, we’re talking about a viral menace that’s one of the scariest – and deadliest – known to science. We’ll talk to WIRED editor Bill Wasik and veterinarian Monica Murphy about their book Rabid: A Cultural History of the World's Most Diabolical Virus. And on the podcast, we’ll speak to post-doctoral researcher Elisabeth Whyte, about a crowd-funded project to use computer games to help adolescents with autism improve social skills and face processing abilities.

Get your rabies shot first, then CLICK HERE.

More like this

Bats are no doubt fascinating animals. They also carry rabies. And I'll be honest with you. Rabies scares the crap out of me. Most people know that rabies is caused by a virus that is spread through the saliva of an infected animal.
First, a recap and a time line on the Kopel/Lott/Reynolds attacks on Steve Levitt:
Max Sawicky links here, as does Brad Delong and Hesiod

"This week, we’re talking about a viral menace that’s one of the scariest – and deadliest – known to science."
Scariest once you have been bitten, but because of the mode of transmission hardly likely to be a a pandemic.