Were zombies and vampires inspired by a real disease?

Zombies and vampires make for pretty good horror stories: both monsters feed on flesh or blood, and their bites turn victims into zombies and vampires themselves. But the scariest thing of all? Both myths have a few things in common with a real-world nightmare: rabies.

Rabies is an infectious disease that’s primarily spread through the bite of an infected animal, like dogs or raccoons. The virus spreads from the bite to the brain, where it’s devastating: victims can experience anxiety, hallucinations, muscle spasms, increase in saliva, seizure, and comas. People can also become aggressive. Within a few days of these symptoms, almost 100 percent of rabies victims die, likely from respiratory failure.

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