Rabies (also called hydrophobia)
Also read;Poliomyelitis:Cause symptom & prevention
Pathogen : Rabies virus
Animals that can transmit the rabies virus
Any mammal (an animal that suckles its young) can spread the rabies virus. The animals most likely to spread the rabies virus to people include:
Pets and farm animals
Cats
Cows
Dogs
Ferrets
Goats
Horses
Wild animals
Bats
Beavers
Coyotes
Foxes
Monkeys
Raccoons
Skunks
Woodchucks
In very rare cases, the virus has been spread to tissue and organ transplant recipients from an infected organ.
Mode of Transmission : Bite by a rabid dog.
Clinical Course of Rabies Infection
The course of the disease is divided into three states: 1st – incubation period; 2nd – clinical signs; and 3rd – paralysis terminating in death.
The incubation period is the time it takes clinical signs to develop after exposure to a rabid animal. It takes from 14 days up to 18 months for rabies to incubate, depending on the animal species, the amount and virulence of the virus, the age of the victim, and the site of the wound.
The average incubation period, which varies greatly, is 3-8 weeks for most species.
Medical authorities distinguish on the basis of clinical signs, between “furious” and “dumb” rabies. In the furious variety, the “mad dog” symptoms are pronounced. The animal is irritable and will snap and bite at real or imaginary objects. It may run for miles and attack anything in its path. The animal is extremely vicious and violent. Paralysis sets in shortly, usually affecting the hind legs first. Death follows four to seven days after the onset of clinical signs.
In dumb rabies, the prominent symptoms are drowsiness and paralysis of the lower jaw. The animal may appear to have a bone lodged in its throat, sometimes causing owners to force open an animal’s mouth to investigate and become unwittingly exposed to rabies.
Animals with dumb rabies have no tendency to roam but will snap at movement. They are completely insensitive to pain, and usually become comatose and die from three to ten days after first symptoms appear.
Without early treatment Rabies is fatal to humans!
Symptoms
(i) Severe headache and high fever.
(ii) Painful contraction of muscles of throat and chest.
(iii) Choking and fear of water leading to death.
Vomiting
Agitation
Anxiety
Confusion
Hyperactivity
Difficulty swallowing
Excessive salivation
Fear brought on by attempts to drink fluids because of difficulty swallowing water
Fear brought on by air blown on the face
Hallucinations
Insomnia
Partial paralysis
Risk factors
Traveling or living in developing countries where rabies is more common
Activities that are likely to put you in contact with wild animals that may have rabies, such as exploring caves where bats live or camping without taking precautions to keep wild animals away from your campsite
Working as a veterinarian
Working in a laboratory with the rabies virus
Wounds to the head or neck, which may help the rabies virus travel to your brain more quickly
When to see a doctor
Seek immediate medical care if you’re bitten by any animal, or exposed to an animal suspected of having rabies. Based on your injuries and the situation in which the exposure happened, you and your doctor can decide whether you should receive treatment to prevent rabies.
Even if you aren’t sure whether you’ve been bitten, seek medical attention. For instance, a bat that flies into your room while you’re sleeping may bite you without waking you. If you awake to find a bat in your room, assume you’ve been bitten. Also, if you find a bat near a person who can’t report a bite, such as a small child or a person with a disability, assume that person has been bitten.
Prevention and Cure
(i) Compulsory immunisation of dogs.
(ii) Killing of rabid animals.
(iii) Anti-rabies injections or oral doses are given to the person bitten by a rabid animals
