Suggest Treatment For Scratchy Throat And Choking Sensation

Posted on Wed, 9 Sep 2015

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Wed, 9 Sep 2015 Answered on

Wed, 30 Sep 2015 Last reviewed on

Question : Last night I woke up feeling like I was choking and then tonight while I was eating dinner I started choking on my spit. Could this be rabies? I Have had a scratchy throat off and on for a few days, and a lot of anxiety. 7 weeks ago I heard a bat sqeaking in my room and didn't see it but slept downstairs. I saw it the next morning in the window in my room sleeping. I never saw any bite marks or felt anything. But am super afraid I could have rabies.

Answered by Dr. Panagiotis Zografakis (2 hours later)

Brief Answer:
no rabies

Detailed Answer:
Hello,

Rabies is transmitted via the inoculation of infected saliva from a diseased animal to the human. A bite is required. There are some very rare reports of transmission through the mucosal surfaces bit contact with infected saliva is still required.

I don't know what happened during your meal but your case does not sound like rabies at all. Your throat symptoms could be attributed to other far more common causes like pharyngitis or other upper respiratory infections.

Besides that once rabies symptoms appear there is no effective treatment, so there is nothing you can do about rabies. Feel reassured thoigh that your case by no means resembles a rabies case.

Kind regards!

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar