Which zoonotic disease is fatal in humans?

• A. Parvovirus
• B. Corona
• C. Rabies
• D. Scabies

Answer: (C)

Rabies stands out because it is almost always fatal in humans once clinical signs appear. The virus is typically transmitted through a bite from an infected animal and travels from the wound along nerves to the brain. After it reaches the central nervous system, it causes progressive neurological symptoms such as agitation, hydrophobia, difficulty swallowing, and paralysis, and there is no proven cure at that stage. Prevention is the key: prompt wound cleaning, vaccination of people who are at risk, and post-exposure prophylaxis (rabies vaccine with or without immune globulin) can prevent the disease from developing.

In contrast, parvovirus infections in humans are usually mild or self-limiting; scabies from animals can infect people but is not fatal and is treatable; coronaviruses can cause a range of illnesses from mild to severe, but fatal outcomes are not an inevitable feature for humans and depend on the virus strain and host factors.