“The military probe placed most of the blame on Shumaker and his command for ignoring general military orders, called General Order-1B, which forbids pets or mascots.”
Ridiculous. Of course troops will have pets and mascots—and have since the beginning of time.
And how did he die 8 months after the bite? Is rabies that slow to act? Didn’t he get treatment in the meantime?
Why was the medicine out of date?
Why wasn’t he given up to date medicine once that was acquired?
If it wasn’t obtained immediately, why not?
Of course, the official army investigation will absolve
everyone (or if necessary, place the entire blame on a low-level, expendable scapegoat...)
Mad dog 20/20.
They’re using the up to date medicine to treat soldiers who get bitten by Afghans.
Yup, rabies can be that slow. It will travel slowly up the nerves to the spinal cord then up to the brain before it kicks its nefarious work into high gear. There is little ill effect until that point except for slight burning or tingling sensations that are perceived as coming from the point of bite.
The modern treatment is similar to the original (revolutionary in its day) Pasteur treatment but involves gamma globulin as well now. Instead of in the belly, the injections are in the rump.
It would be ghastly to die of rabies.
And how did he die 8 months after the bite? Is rabies that slow to act?
“The rabies virus travels to the brain by following the peripheral nerves. The incubation period of the disease is usually a few months in humans, depending on the distance the virus must travel to reach the central nervous system.”
I’m guessing he must have been bitten on the extremities, and maybe the partial treatments slowed the progression of the virus as well.