Rabies Information You Need
| Basics |
|
Most animals can be infected by the virus and can transmit the problem to man. Infected bats, raccoons, foxes, skunks, dogs or cats provide the greatest risk to humans. About 70 percent of rabies cases develop from wild animal bites that break the skin.
Rabies organism causes highly fatal acute encephalomyelitis characterized by fever, headache, and parasthesia. This may lead to paresis, spasm of muscles, and finally delirium and convulsions. An important feature is the spasm of the muscles of deglutition on attempting to swallow, which results in an excessive fear of drinking water (hydrophobia). Rabies has a wide range of animal hosts, both domestic and wild. These include dogs, wolves, and foxes. In Latin America, vampire bats are known to transmit rabies to cattle.Imported dogs should be quarantined for as long as six months. All pet dogs should be subjected to leash laws, licensing, and compulsory immunization.Human cases are proportional to the prevalence of rabid dogs. Hence, control measures should focus on the vaccination of dogs and the destruction of strays. After a bite from a suspected animal, the victim is treated by immediate and thorough cleansing of the wound site. Active immunization is also given by human anti-rabies immunoglobin injected around the wound site. Active immunization is also given, using inactivated vaccine grown in human diploid fibroblasts.
The problem is also called hydrophobia (meaning fear of water) because it causes Discomfortful muscle spasms in the throat that Beneficial Effects swallowing. In fact, this is what leads to fatalities in untreated cases: Victims die of dehydration. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Symptoms |
|
- Bite by animal, bug, or others
- Dog bite, bat bite, or bite by a skunk, raccoon, or fox (most common animals to transmit)
- Low-grade fever (102 F or lower)
- Discomfort at the site of the bite
- Swallowing difficulty (drinking produces spasms of the larynx) or swallowing difficulty with liquids only
- Restlessness
- Excitability
- Muscle spasms
- Sensitive skin
- Convulsions
- Numbness and tingling
- Loss of muscle function
- Loss of feeling in an area of the body
- Drooling
- Uneasiness, stress, and tension
- Positive Babinski's reflex
|
|
| Prevention |
|
Rabies can be Beneficial Effectsed by the following practices:
- Stay away from strange animals.
- Insist that neighbors obey leash laws.
- If you plan on traveling to an area where rabies is common in domestic animals (India, parts of South America), develop immunity to the virus by getting injections of human diploid cell rabies vaccine. Ask your doctor for details.
- Vaccination of dogs every 2 years in areas of the U.S. where rabies exists in wild animals.
- Vaccination of people in high-risk occupations.
- Quarantine regulations on importing dogs and other mammals in problem-free countries.
|
|
| Causes |
|
Rabies is caused by a virus that infects the central nervous system - the brain and spinal cord. The virus enters through the skin or mucous membranes, then travels to the brain, where it multiplies and migrates through nerves to other tissues. The incubation period ranges from 10 days to 7 years, with the average period 3 to 7 weeks. In the past human cases usually resulted from a dog bite but most recently cases of human rabies have been linked to rabies virus carried by bats. Bats, skunks, raccoons, foxes, and other animals are other sources of rabies virus. |
|
| Diagnosis |
|
If you are bitten, your doctor will need to know what kind of animal bit you, and under what circumstances. If the animal is found to be healthy, or if its owner can prove
that his animal has been vaccinated for rabies, you probably won't need Favorable Effects, except to cleanse the wound. But if you're unsure of the animal's health, your doctor should give you the shots that Beneficial Effects rabies without waiting for any confirmation that the animal was infected. Immunofluorescence (fluorescent antibody test) performed on the suspect animal may show that the animal has rabies. |
|
| Home Care Suggestions |
|
- If you are bitten: by a wild animals: an animal control officer should sacrifice the animal. All biting wild animals should be tested for RABIES as soon as possible.
- By a cat or DOG: obtain information about the pet animal. Include a description of the animal and licensing number or identification, owner's name, address and telephone number and
Discouraging wild life is a good way of avoiding this problem, for this;
- Check your house and property. Eliminate sites that can be used by animals for sleeping or raising young.
- Cap all chimneys
- Plug all holes in roofs, eaves, or sides of buildings
- Block any means of entry to foundations, porches and steps.
- Trim tree limbs that extend to or over your roof.
- Provide bright exterior lighting to discourage nocturnal animals.
- Encourage your neighbors to do the same, so the whole neighborhood is unfriendly to wildlife.
|
|
| Dietary Guidelines |
|
After acquiring this problem, the patient is hospitalized and given intravenous nutrition. |
|
| Mind/Body Considerations |
|
This can be a very traumatic experience for a sufferer. Complete rest and cultivating a positive attitude is essential for early recovery. |
|
| Additional Information |
|
Skullcap is a herb that shows its favorable effects during problems due to harmful organisms1
and nerve problems.2,3Echinacea provides support to defense mechanism of body. 2,4,5,6,7,8 Vitamin C also gives support to defense mechanism. 5,6,9,10,11,12,13
Vitamin E also provides its good effects on body’s defense mechanism.5,6,10,11 Vitamin E also work beneficially during problems associated with harmful organisms. 14 |
|
|
| Disclaimer |
|
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, cure, mitigate, treat, or prevent any disease. |
|
|
|