Q 01/05

What does the Latin word rabies mean?

A) Foam

B) Thirst

C) Madness

D) Fever

Answer · why

C) Madness

Madness, rage or fury is what the Romans meant by rabies, from rabere, 'to rave'; the same Latin word, passing through Old French, also gave English '...

Q 02/05

By what name was rabies historically known, from victims' panic at being offered a drink?

A) Aquaphobia

B) Hydrophobia

C) Dipsomania

D) Thalassophobia

Answer · why

B) Hydrophobia

Hydrophobia, 'fear of water': even the sight of a glass can set off violent, painful spasms, so a patient who is desperately thirsty recoils from it i...

Q 03/05

Dogs cause about 99% of human rabies cases; what does the WHO call the most cost-effective way to prevent them?

A) Culling stray dogs

B) Vaccinating dogs en masse

C) Vaccinating every child

D) Muzzling dogs in public

Answer · why

B) Vaccinating dogs en masse

Vaccinating dogs en masse stops the virus where it starts, so people are never bitten by a rabid animal in the first place; treating victims one at a ...

Q 04/05

What is the usual incubation period between infection and first symptoms in humans?

A) One to three days

B) One to three weeks

C) One to three months

D) One to three years

Answer · why

C) One to three months

One to three months is typical, but a bite on the face acts faster than one on the foot, because the virus has to creep along the nerves to reach the ...

Q 05/05

What should you do first if bitten by an animal that might have rabies?

A) Suck out the saliva

B) Tie a tight tourniquet

C) Wash the wound with soap

D) Seal it with a bandage

Answer · why

C) Wash the wound with soap

Wash the wound with soap and water for a full 15 minutes, then get to a clinic for the vaccine: the scrub is the first step of the treatment that stop...