New Jersey Report of Rabies Postexposure Treatment

If the disease is not treated immediately, it presents a great risk to the infected patient. The rabies virus infects the central nervous systems causing brain disease, and ultimately, death. Early symptoms of rabies include fever, headache, weakness. Symptoms progress over time to include hallucinations, partial paralysis, and an increase in saliva. Rabies transmission can be prevented with the rabies vaccination. In addition, disease control and prevention is promoted by thoroughly reporting all cases to health officials. The New Jersey Report of Rabies Postexposure Treatment app is a report form for a health care provider to communicate the treatment of patients with cases of rabies to the local health department. With this report form, the physician will document patient information post-treatment including the type of human exposure such as bite or contamination with saliva to open wound, the part of the body exposed, suspected rabid animals such as rabid raccoons, dogs and cats, and the circumstances of exposure. The physician will confirm the rabies status of exposing animals and describe the type of treatment including the patient is receiving for the disease.