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A 15-year-old teenager from Wisconsin has beaten the odds and survived a rabies infection without a vaccination, making her the first known person in medical history to do so. Jeanna Giese was released from the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin yesterday, a month earlier than expected. Jeanna was infected in September when a bat bit her while she was attending her regular church service. Jeanna didn't recognize the ramifications of being bitten by a bat, so she didn't immediately seek medical aid. A month later, on October 13, Jeanna began to show the symptoms associated with a rabies infection. She was admitted to hospital two days later, when doctors confirmed she was infected with rabies. In order for a rabies vaccination to be effective it must be given to the patient after the initial exposure and before symptoms appear. A vaccination was useless in Jeanna's case, leaving her doctors with few options. In an effort to save the girl's life, doctors tried an experimental treatment, which included putting Jeanna into a coma. Yesterday, Jeanna left the hospital in a wheelchair. Her doctors were amazed that she survived the normally fatal infection. Although Jeanna will require many more months of physical and occupational therapy, she told reporters that she was very excited about going home. |