Why can you get rabies from scratches?
Why can you get it from scratches if the virus is transmitted through an animals saliva and other fluids? It doesn’t make any sense some one please explain it to me.
Best Answer
Animal bites and scratches, even when they are minor, can become infected and spread bacteria to other parts of the body. Whether the bite is from a family pet or an animal in the wild, scratches and bites can carry disease. Cat scratches, for examples, even from a kitten can carry “cat scratch disease,” a bacterial infection. Other animals can transmit rabies and tetanus. Bites that break the skin are even more likely to become infected.
SO THIS IS NOW ONLY ABOUT RABBIES
The rabies virus enters the body through a cut or scratch, or through mucous membranes (such as the lining of the mouth and eyes), and travels to the central nervous system. Once the infection is established in the brain, the virus travels down the nerves from the brain and multiplies in different organs.
The salivary glands and organs are most important in the spread of rabies from one animal to another. When an infected animal bites another animal, the rabies virus is transmitted through the infected animal’s saliva. Scratches by claws of rabid animals are also dangerous because these animals lick their claws.