Texas girl recovers from rabies, a very rare occurrence

"Go ahead, pet me!"

(FULL ARTICLE HERE) The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reporting a case of rabies in a 17 year-old girl from Texas who recovered from the disease without the need for intensive care. The girl had been exposed to bats two months before the onset of neurological symptoms of "severe frontal headache, photophobia (fear of light), emesis (vomiting), neck pain, dizziness, and paresthesia (tingling) of face and forearms." Lab and imaging findings showed some sort of infection of her central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). Once lab findings came back indicating that she had been exposed to the rabies virus, she was given treatment specific for rabies. Her health improved, and she went home.

Rabies is a viral disease of the nervous system in mammals. Though you may think of "Cujo" when you think of rabies, very few cases of dogs with rabies are reported in the United States. Rabies in dogs is more a problem in developing nations. In the United States, most cases of rabies are associated with bats, raccoons, skunks, and foxes. Though there are intensive campaigns to vaccinate wild animals, there are still some cases where these animals come in contact with people.

It is very important that you seek medical advice if you come into contact with a wild animal such as a bat. The girl in the MMWR report did not feel that she was bitten in any way, but the bats in a cave she was exploring did fly into her while she was there. If the vaccine and immune-globulin is given before the onset of symptoms, full-blown rabies can be avoided. If not, death is all but certain. The Texas case is only the seventh documented case of someone ever surviving a symptomatic rabies infection. The other six required intensive medical care and have long-lasting neurological problems.

Pew survey finds 1 in 5 children lacking good access to dental health

FULL ARTICLE OVER AT MY EXAMINER.COM PAGE

Posted using ShareThis

Desiree Jennings caught faking her so-called vaccine-induced neurological problems

FULL STORY OVER ON MY EXAMINER.COM PAGE

Sunday Commentary: Why I wouldn't make it as a pastor, preacher, priest, rabbi, imam...

One of the big tenants of most major and minor religions is some sort of commandment to "Love thy neighbor". (I can only write as being a Christian, so I'll keep this commentary along those lines.) When Jesus was asked by his disciples who their "neighbor" was, He explained to them, through the parable of the Good Samaritan, that anyone in need is their neighbor. Anyone at all.
I believe that I wouldn't make it as a pastor in a church because it would be perfectly okay with me if someone in the congregation wasn't able to make it in on a Sunday because he or she was helping at the local homeless shelter. I'd be okay if they were rebuilding a house of someone who lost it to an earthquake. And I would actually encourage members of the congregation to donate to charities the money they would otherwise give to the church.
Unfortunately, so many churches are being run like businesses, with boards of directors, treasures, and the like. With my policies in place, where I would accept the congregation donating time and resources to helping their neighbors, I'd be out of a job pretty soon. Heck, if it were up to me, I'd have my sermons be available at podcasts and on YouTube so they could listen to them on their way to work after a weekend filled with volunteer work.
Yes, it is important to gather together with other people of the same faith. Yes, it is important to hear the "expert opinion" of what the Bible has to say on issues of the day. Being the social animals that we are, we like to be in groups of like-minded people. There is nothing wrong with that.
However, we bring bigger, better glory to God when we help our neighbor. To live to bring others out of the darkness and in from the cold must be an enormous way to be true to our faith(s)... more than gathering to spread gossip or have a good fun.
Then again, that's just me... And this was not a sermon; it was just a thought.