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Talk6 min

Why is getting bitten by a rabid animal so dangerous?

Charles Rupprecht · TED

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About

In 1885, Joseph Meister was bit in 14 places by a rabid dog. His mother rushed him to Paris for an experimental vaccine from Louis Pasteur, and he became the first rabies-vaccinated person to survive. Today, without proper intervention, rabies remains deadly in almost all cases. So, what makes it so dangerous to humans? Charles Rupprecht explores what makes this infectious disease so lethal. [Directed by Anton Bogaty, narrated by Bethany Cutmore-Scott, music by Stephen LaRosa, Wonder Boy Audio].

The talk

  1. Why is getting bitten by a rabid animal so dangerous? 6 min · TED's player

Credits and licence

Institution
TED
Department
TED-Ed
Speaker
Charles Rupprecht
Year
2026
Level
For everyone
Language
English
Subjects
Medicine and health, History, Teaching and learning
Source
TED
Licence
CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, as TED states it. Non-commercial use only, and no changed versions. TED's terms
Attribution
TED Talks are licensed by TED under Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 International and are shown here in TED's own player, as TED's usage policy asks.
Who can watch
TED gives no rating. Invisible Network shows it to Teens profiles and older, judged from what the source says about it. How courses are placed