Rabies

Overview

Rabies is a viral illness which is spread by the saliva of an infected animal. This type of virus is usually transmitted from host to host through bites, and scratches from other animals. The symptoms of rabies virus appear immediately after the incubation period which basically ranges from 1-3 months. Rabies has no effective treatment.

What is Rabies?

Rabies are virus that directly attacks the central nervous system of mammals. Dog bites and scratches are responsible for nearly 99% of rabies cases. While WHO tags it as virtually 100% fatal, rabies deaths are preventable with prompt post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), which stops the virus from reaching the central nervous system.

Types of Rabies

It’s necessary for an individual to know what type of rabies he/ she falls under. There are various types of rabies, but the most common type is furious rabies, and studies suggest more than 80% of humans have furious rabies. While it can become a part of your health at any stage but knowing what type of rabies has caught you up is essential. Types of rabies include,

Furious rabies: This type of rabies is considered to be causing hyperactivity and is associated with hallucinations, agitation and restlessness. As the disease progresses, individuals may develop hydrophobia, aerophobia and excessive salivation. Furious rabies might lead to death within few weeks of exposure or the onset of symptoms.

Paralytic rabies: This type of rabies is considered to be causing paralysis and coma. Individuals with paralytic rabies experience muscle weakness, loss of coordination, difficulty breathing and swallowing. This kind of rabies occurs in 20% of humans and is often misdiagnosed with other problems. Paralytic rabies leads to respiratory failure and it causes death after the appearance of symptoms.

The determination of the types is necessary for doctors to prescribe suitable medications to the individuals. The customization of the treatments is the right approach. The severity of rabies must be kept under immediate consideration to provide effective treatment for the betterment of an individual.

Symptoms of Rabies

Symptoms vary from person to person, so it’s important to know what your body is indicating. The incubation period for rabies can vary but it generally is 1-3 months. Some common symptoms and signs of rabies include

• Fever
• Headache
• Fatigue
• Nausea
• Agitation
• Hyperactivity
• Excessive salivation
• Difficulty swallowing
• Confusion
• Anxiety
• Vomiting
• Hallucinations
• Insomnia
• Slight or partial paralysis
• Brain dysfunction
• Seizures
• Abnormal behaviour
• Different size pupils
• Neck stiffness
• Racing heart
• Rapid breathing
• Muscle twitching

Since the symptoms take time to appear after exposure to a rabies-infected bite, many people can start noticing these symptoms at the earliest stages and most of them aren’t even aware of any of this.

How would you know that you caught up with rabies?

The symptoms of rabies are often non-specific and may resemble flu-like symptoms. While the disease progresses, it causes more neurological problems. An individual may experience early symptoms after the incubation period which typically ranges from 1-3 months. As the virus progresses, neurological problems can occur including hydrophobia, confusion, hallucination and difficulty swallowing. You might also notice abnormal behaviour, including unusual changes, and aggressiveness. Rabies can also lead to paralysis affecting the muscles of breathing and swallowing. The symptoms of rabies are often misunderstood by the symptoms of flu. Early intervention and immediate medical help are advised to prevent other potential problems.

Causes of Rabies

Rabies can be caused by the bite of an infected animal. The development is influenced by the virus spreading through the saliva of infected animals. Infected animals can spread the virus by biting another person or animal. Researchers suggested that rabies can also be developed and caused by getting into direct contact with an open wound or mucous membranes such as the mouth or eyes. This can generally happen when these parts are licked by an infected animal. This is how these crucial factors bridge the gap and can influence rabies infection to interfere with our day-to-day tasks. Early intervention and detection would help in curing this aggressive disease at an early stage.

Tests and diagnosis
There’s no specific test that can help in diagnosing rabies. However, after the incubation period of 1-3 months, the symptoms may appear and to understand what your symptoms are trying to tell you, a doctor can use tests such as blood, tissue or saliva to determine whether an individual is infected with rabies or not. The tissue test includes a test known as DFA (direct fluorescent antibody) and a biopsy of the neck. If an individual is attacked and bitten by a wild animal, the doctor will immediately recommend and give rabies shots to prevent and stop the infections and symptoms from spreading. It’s important to focus that early detection is really essential for immediate treatment of rabies. Rabies has less chances of healing when detected early and survival rates of rabies are low, however some individuals manage to survive rabies with treatment options available. While you can never eliminate the risk of acquiring rabies but it can be treated by early intervention and detection right after an animal bite.

Risk Factors

Rabies is transmitted through the saliva of infected animals, usually through their bites. There are many risk factors which can influence the development of rabies. Risk factors include:

Working as a veterinarian: Occupation as vets is at great risk of catching rabies as vets are always handling the animals and there is a probability of getting infected from an animal.

Travelling: Traveling or living in areas where the rabies virus is more common since rabies is prevalent in certain areas, this factor increases the chances of catching the virus.

Exposure to stray animals: Certain wildlife animals and most likely to transmit this deadly disease. Direct contact with the animal exhibiting abnormal behaviour, increases the risk of infection.

Delay in seeking medical attention: A delayed or incomplete course of prescribed treatment can increase the potential risk of developing this deadly infection.

Tests and Treatment of Rabies

There’s no specific treatment for rabies after symptoms appear. However, NHS suggests that getting two or more doses of rabies vaccine and medicine called rabies immunoglobulin can prevent the development of rabies in individuals bitten by infected animal.

You are supposed to clean the wound by soap and water. It’s essential for an individual to take a safe path of immediate intervention to prevent potential side-effects and the risk of rabies and get a prescribed summary of treatment.

Prevention of Rabies

The risk of getting affected by rabies is higher if you come into direct contact with rabid infected animals but preventive measures are always recommended to save an individual from the influence and interference of rabies in their life. Preventive measures include:

Get rabies vaccine: There are 3 types of vaccines pre-qualified by WHO. They are RABIVAX-S by Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd., VaxiRab N by Zydus Lifesciences Limited, and VERORAB by Sanofi Pasteur.

Vaccinate your pets: Ensure that all pets including dogs and cats are regularly vaccinated by the veterinarians to prevent rabies.

Don’t approach wild animals: It is advised that wild animals may or may not be friendly but must not approached directly as they may seem fearless and there are chances that they can attack at any moment.

Keep your pets from roaming outside often: It is important to keep your pets under immediate check to reduce the risk of getting into direct contact with the infected animal.

Report stray animals to animal control: Stray animals exhibiting abnormal behaviours and are not acting normally must be reported immediately to the animal control to avoid rabies.

These possible preventive measures can help in reducing the impact of this chronic disease rabies. Early intervention and detection are preferable for a successful treatment.