I am so depressed with the thought of having rabies.

Infections
1

Hello everyone. Lately the thought that i might have contracted rabies was really killing me and my life. The story went back to 7 months earlier, in around September 2018. My family and a neighbor house both share a backyard toghether and our neighbor had a cat. The cat at first did not like me or my other family members, however i started giving it food and it became friendlier. One afternoon while i was in the backyard, he showed up and started meowing countinously as if he was asking for food, i gave him some leftover from lunch and he ate all of them.

After finished eating, he slightly rub bit of his fur into my leg then went away. Then one day later he just dissapeared and never returned since then. (He had once left home but later returned.).

Ever since then i was so anxious with the idea that the cat might be rabid and i was exposed to the virus. He was not vaccinated against rabies and even though he only touched it fur on my leg, i am afraid that at somepoint my hands had touched the spot on my leg and spread the saliva to potential place for exposure.

I had gone to see a doctor at at hospital for infectious deseases and he said it is not considered a threat and so vaccines was not neccessary. However even with that i still get panic and stressed over the idea that in a percentage of a thousand i did contracted rabies and they are now in my bodies.

Sometimes i seemed to forget about it but later it suddenly re-appeared, hanging like a cloud over my head.

If you have read all the way down here i want to say thank you and sorry for the wall of text. I don’t really know what to do, and at least having spoken it all out is really a relief.

Sorry for my bad English, if you have any idea or suggestion for me, it would be my honest gratitude.

2

Trust what your doctor said about it not being a concern. I would recommend talking to your primary care physician about the impact on your life that the stress and anxiety has caused. Constant worry about one’s health is a very real anxiety disorder. I would talk to your PCP about the available support options to help with the anxiety and depression.

3

“Rabies can’t go through unbroken skin. People can get rabies only via a bite from a rabid animal or possibly through scratches, abrasions, open wounds or mucous membranes in contact with saliva or brain tissue from a rabid animal.”

Something simple as rubbing fur on your leg or whatever body part isn’t going to do anything. Your body has an amazing defense system and your anxiety over this is weakening it, don’t overthink it so much. Also since your doctor said it’s not a threat that should be proof enough it’s nothing, so I think you’ve developed anxiety disorder over this. Have some deep breaths, and whenever it comes back to mind just be self conscious that you’re panicking over nothing, and that you’re perfectly healthy. After all 7 months have passed and you’re still fine.

4

im sure theres nothing to worry about. RABIES is just not contracted that way. You are most likely psyching yourself out. No symptoms, no worries.