In August of 2011, Thomas Jefferson University announced that it had been awarded a nearly $5 million dollar grant. They will test a new rabies vaccine with the potential to cure the virus infection, even after it has made its way into a person’s central nervous system. Frequently, PA dog bite victims are bitten by a dog that flees the scene of the attack.

In those cases, the dog can’t be tested for rabies or quarantined for 10 days as required by the PA Dog Law. Dog bite attack victims should undergo a series of 6 separate rabies vaccine injections. Sometimes, dog bite victims don’t get the rabies injections because they do not feel any symptoms after the attack or do not have the money to pay for them.

Sadly, a non-treated rabies victim can develop life threatening problems before they are aware of the seriousness of their situation. The current rabies vaccine normally can’t save the life of a dog attack victim at that stage of the disease. Researchers at Thomas Jefferson hope that the new rabies vaccine can cause the immune system to eliminate the deadly virus from the brain. It is estimated that nearly 50,000 people die each year from contracting rabies around the world.

If you or a loved one have been attacked by a dog in Pennsylvania, call Attorney Newell at 800-980-4842 for a free home visit. Thomas J. Newell, Esquire has been representing PA personal injury victims for 30 years. His website of PADogAttackLawyer.com is a great resource for all PA dog bite victims.