A 22-year-old State-level kabaddi player recently died from Rabies. Brijesh had rescued a stray pup around 2 months back, and the pup bit him, but he never took the rabies vaccination. Over the next few weeks, his health deteriorated, resulting in his death. The incident brings the focus back on rabies, and why it is so deadly. Let's take a look at how exactly rabies happen, and what to immediately do after an injury...
What Is Rabies
Rabies is a deadly virus that affects the nervous system. Rabies primarily affects animals, but it also affects human beings. The disease always results in death (100% mortality) after symptoms appear (not after the bite), so preventive measures, and prompt medical intervention become vital.
How Does Rabies Enter the Body
Bite from a Rabid Animal
The main route for human rabies transmission involves animal bites from infected hosts. Rabies virus enters human bodies through skin breaks during animal bites, while the animal saliva contains the virus.
Scratch or Abrasion
Rabies transmission occurs through scratches, even though they produce minimal bleeding.
The virus spreads to the human body through animal claws that contain saliva, or skin breaks from scratches.
The virus travels faster to the brain when the bite occurs on the face, hands or neck because of their proximity to the brain.
Open Cuts or Wounds
Getting rabies becomes possible through direct contact between your open wound and a rabid animal's saliva.
Unbroken skin prevents the virus from passing through.
Mucous Membranes
The virus can penetrate human mucous membranes through eyes, nose and mouth contact with infected animal saliva.
Not from Casual Contact
Contacting an animal or petting its fur or being near it, will not result in rabies transmission. Your body needs an entry point for the virus to establish infection, which occurs through bites or scratches or open wounds.
Which Animals Can Give You Rabies
Any mammal (animals that feed their babies with milk) can carry rabies.
The main animal source of rabies remains dogs in most countries. This apart, wild animals including bats, raccoons, foxes and skunks serve as common rabies carriers, too.
Rabies transmission from domestic animals occurs through infected cats, as well as cows and other species.
What Happens After the Virus Enters The Body
The virus enters through your wound to reproduce in the surrounding tissue.
The virus moves through your nerves, on its way to your brain. The duration of virus travel depends on the bite, or scratch location inside the body.
When the virus reaches brain tissue, it reproduces rapidly, before triggering symptoms such as fever, confusion, water phobia and swallowing difficulties.
The disease becomes inevitably fatal, when symptoms become visible.
Immediate action
Once bitten, some immediate actions need to be taken to prevent further damage, before the rabies shot. These include
Step 1: Wash the Wound Right Away
Wash the affected area with soap and running water for at least 15 minutes. The virus present in the wound will be eliminated during this process, which might prevent entry into your body.
Use plenty of water and soap. Use water if soap cannot be obtained.
After washing, apply an antiseptic solution of povidone-iodine or alcohol, to the affected area if available.
Step 2: Do Not Cover or Cauterize the Wound
Avoid tight bandaging of the wound, and avoid using hot or irritating substances including chilli, oil or plant juices. The wound should never be burned, or treated with cauterization.
Step 3: Seek Medical Help Immediately
Visit the nearest hospital or doctor immediately after the incident.
You should inform the medical staff about your accident details, together with the animal species that inflicted the injury.
The doctor will determine if you need a rabies vaccine and/or rabies immunoglobulin, which is a specific medicine to combat the virus.
Step 4: Try to Identify the Animal
If it is safe, try to remember what the animal looked like, and whether it was wild or domestic.
The doctor will use information from safe animal observations, or captures to make decisions about the next course of action.
Why Immediate Action Is Important
Rabies can be totally prevented when you seek medical help immediately after exposure. (The rabies shot is 100% effective if given on time, and no one has died after they have received the right shot within the time frame) The first dose of the vaccine should be administered immediately after exposure, ideally within 24 hours, but it can be effective even within 72 hours.
Sources
World Health Organization (WHO)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Mayo Clinic
Cleveland Clinic
Disclaimer: The content of this article serves educational and informative purposes but does not provide medical guidance
What Is Rabies
Rabies is a deadly virus that affects the nervous system. Rabies primarily affects animals, but it also affects human beings. The disease always results in death (100% mortality) after symptoms appear (not after the bite), so preventive measures, and prompt medical intervention become vital.
How Does Rabies Enter the Body
Bite from a Rabid Animal
The main route for human rabies transmission involves animal bites from infected hosts. Rabies virus enters human bodies through skin breaks during animal bites, while the animal saliva contains the virus.
Scratch or Abrasion
Rabies transmission occurs through scratches, even though they produce minimal bleeding.
The virus spreads to the human body through animal claws that contain saliva, or skin breaks from scratches.
The virus travels faster to the brain when the bite occurs on the face, hands or neck because of their proximity to the brain.
Open Cuts or Wounds
Getting rabies becomes possible through direct contact between your open wound and a rabid animal's saliva.
Unbroken skin prevents the virus from passing through.
Mucous Membranes
The virus can penetrate human mucous membranes through eyes, nose and mouth contact with infected animal saliva.
Not from Casual Contact
Contacting an animal or petting its fur or being near it, will not result in rabies transmission. Your body needs an entry point for the virus to establish infection, which occurs through bites or scratches or open wounds.
Which Animals Can Give You Rabies
Any mammal (animals that feed their babies with milk) can carry rabies.
The main animal source of rabies remains dogs in most countries. This apart, wild animals including bats, raccoons, foxes and skunks serve as common rabies carriers, too.
Rabies transmission from domestic animals occurs through infected cats, as well as cows and other species.
What Happens After the Virus Enters The Body
The virus enters through your wound to reproduce in the surrounding tissue.
The virus moves through your nerves, on its way to your brain. The duration of virus travel depends on the bite, or scratch location inside the body.
When the virus reaches brain tissue, it reproduces rapidly, before triggering symptoms such as fever, confusion, water phobia and swallowing difficulties.
The disease becomes inevitably fatal, when symptoms become visible.
Immediate action
Once bitten, some immediate actions need to be taken to prevent further damage, before the rabies shot. These include
Step 1: Wash the Wound Right Away
Wash the affected area with soap and running water for at least 15 minutes. The virus present in the wound will be eliminated during this process, which might prevent entry into your body.
Use plenty of water and soap. Use water if soap cannot be obtained.
After washing, apply an antiseptic solution of povidone-iodine or alcohol, to the affected area if available.
Step 2: Do Not Cover or Cauterize the Wound
Avoid tight bandaging of the wound, and avoid using hot or irritating substances including chilli, oil or plant juices. The wound should never be burned, or treated with cauterization.
Step 3: Seek Medical Help Immediately
Visit the nearest hospital or doctor immediately after the incident.
You should inform the medical staff about your accident details, together with the animal species that inflicted the injury.
The doctor will determine if you need a rabies vaccine and/or rabies immunoglobulin, which is a specific medicine to combat the virus.
Step 4: Try to Identify the Animal
If it is safe, try to remember what the animal looked like, and whether it was wild or domestic.
The doctor will use information from safe animal observations, or captures to make decisions about the next course of action.
Why Immediate Action Is Important
Rabies can be totally prevented when you seek medical help immediately after exposure. (The rabies shot is 100% effective if given on time, and no one has died after they have received the right shot within the time frame) The first dose of the vaccine should be administered immediately after exposure, ideally within 24 hours, but it can be effective even within 72 hours.
Sources
World Health Organization (WHO)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Mayo Clinic
Cleveland Clinic
Disclaimer: The content of this article serves educational and informative purposes but does not provide medical guidance
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