Rabies, usually spread through the saliva of infected animals, is a deadly virus. Animals most likely to spread rabies include bats, stray dogs, foxes, raccoons and skunks. In countries like Pakistan, however, people usually get infected by the bite of stray dogs.
Rabies is almost always deadly once signs and symptoms of the disease begin to appear. Therefore, anyone at risk of getting the disease should receive rabies vaccinations to protect themselves.
Symptoms of Rabies
The first symptoms of the disease—which may last for several days—may be very similar to flu. But later on, symptoms may include:
- Fever
- Headache
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Agitation
- Anxiety
- Confusion
- Hyperactivity
- Difficulty swallowing
- Excessive salivation
- Fear caused by attempts to drink fluids due to trouble swallowing water
- Hallucinations
- Sleeplessness
- Partial paralysis
When to see a doctor for Rabies
Should you get bitten by an animal, particularly a stray dog, immediately see your doctor, because based on your injuries, s/he will be able to decide whether you should receive treatment to prevent rabies. Never take the disease for granted and do seek medical attention even if you think you haven’t been bitten.
Causes of Rabies
Rabies infection is caused by the rabies virus, which is transmitted through the saliva of infected animals. They can transmit the virus by biting another animal or individual. Very rarely, though, rabies can be transmitted when infected saliva touches an open wound—and that occurs should an infected animal lick an open cut on your skin.
Animals that can transmit the rabies virus
The animals most likely to spread the rabies virus to people include cats, dogs, monkeys, bats, raccoons, skunks, horses, and wild animals.
Risk factors of Rabies
Factors that can raise your risk of rabies include traveling or living in countries where rabies is more common, including countries in Africa and Southeast Asia. Activities that may expose you to wild animals that may have the disease such as discovering caves where animals live.
Treatment of Rabies
If you get a bike or even scratch from an infected animal, you should immediately wash the wound for 15 minutes with foamy water or detergent. This might reduce the number of viral particles. After this, you must seek medical help. Before symptoms appear, take a series of rabies vaccines—which will be injected into the arm over the next 2 to 4 weeks—to prevent the virus from thriving. But once the symptoms develop, the disease becomes incurable and death is inevitable.
Vaccinations available in Karachi, Pakistan
ABIPUR by NOVARTIS PHARMA (PAK) LTD
VERORAB by SANOFI AVENTIS (Pakistan) Ltd
Prevention of Rabies
To reduce your risk of coming in contact with infected animals, you should vaccinate your animals like cats, dogs and monkeys. Get your vet to ensure your pets should be properly vaccinated.
Secondly, keep your pets confined—this will help prevent them from coming in contact with rabid animals. Also, protect small pets from marauders, and keep rabbits and other small pets inside or in protected cages so that they are safe from wild animals. These small pets can’t be vaccinated against the disease.
Also, avoid approaching wild animals with rabies, as they may seem unafraid of people. It’s not usual for a wild animal to be approachable with people, so keep away from any animal that appears unafraid. In addition, consider the rabies vaccine if you’re traveling to a country where the disease is widespread and you’ll be there for a long time. Ask your doctor if you should get the rabies vaccine. This includes traveling to far-flung places where medical care is hard to find.