Final answer:
Veterinarians must report suspected rabies bites, as prompt treatment with vaccine and immunoglobulin is necessary to prevent virus progression to the central nervous system. The rabies virus travels to the central nervous system in about a week, highlighting the urgency of treatment.
Step-by-step explanation:
It is false that veterinarians don't need to worry about reporting possible rabies bites. Veterinarians are required to report suspected rabies exposures due to the serious nature of the disease. Once a person is bitten by an animal that may have rabies, it is crucial that they receive post-exposure prophylaxis as soon as possible. The rabies virus typically takes about a week to travel from the site of the bite to the central nervous system. This period is critical, as the vaccine and immunoglobulin can stop the virus from advancing to the central nervous system. Without proper treatment, rabies is almost universally fatal once symptoms appear, so it is better for patients to undergo unnecessary therapy because of a false-positive result than to die from a missed diagnosis. Additionally, while domestic animals are routinely vaccinated against rabies, this does not guarantee that humans will not contract rabies from an animal bite.