Photo Credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/dgoomany/6338142380
Rabies is the most common zoonotic disease spoken of when issues relating to pet health comes up. This disease has killed thousands and continues to do so every year. In Africa alone, on average about 59,000 people die annually because of this disease. Ghana is no exception, records of several dog bites with confirmed rabies cases have been realized in many regions of the country. The sad thing is that these deaths could easily have been prevented by vaccinating our pets.
TRANSMISSION
Rabies is a viral infection that affects mammals (warm blooded animals whose females have milk secreting glands to feed their young); both domesticated and wild. Dogs, cats, bats, and rats are examples of animals prone to this disease. Humans are also mammals and therefore can be infected with the virus. The disease is transmitted through the saliva of an infected animal usually by bites or scratches from the animal. In special conditions such as experimental laboratories and bat caves with high concentrations of the virus, one can get infected by inhalation.
The virus then travels to the brain which is its main site of replication (predilection site). The virus multiplies and is released in high concentrations in the salivary gland. How long the virus takes to get to the brain and for replication to take place is dependent on the proximity of the wound to the brain. Duration can be as short as 3-4 days to as long as months or even years. For the disease to manifest itself, it is also dependent on the amount of virus transmitted, viral strain, site of bite, nature of the wound and host immunity.
In animals, two forms of rabies are observed depending on the site of brain affected by the virus. There is the furious form which is the most popular and widely observed and the dumb/paralytic form.
SIGNS OF RABIES IN ANIMALS
– Inability to swallow or severe drooling
– Facial paralysis
– Highly aggressive
– Fear of exposure to light
– Difficulty in breathing
– Lameness
SIGNS OF RABIES IN HUMANS
– Headaches
– Fear of water
– Fear of light
– Difficulty in swallowing and drinking
– Hallucinations
– Anxiety
The danger with this disease is that once signs begin to show, there is nothing that can be done to treat the disease. Death comes knocking on the door of the victim.
Rabies is diagnosed in the laboratory by taking brain tissues from infected animals. Recent studies have identified other samples aside from the brain to test for the virus. Tests include RT-PCR, ELISA and immunofluorescent tests.
WHAT TO DO WHEN BITTEN BY A DOG
– Wash the site of bite with running water and soap for a minimum of 15 minutes
– Disinfect the wound with alcohol or iodine
– Go to the nearest hospital immediately
WHAT HAPPENS TO THE DOG THAT BIT AN INDIVIDUAL
– Report the case of dog bite to the veterinarian in your vicinity. The Veterinarian will quarantine the dog and examine it to ensure that it is not a threat to you and to everyone in the town.
– Don’t make an attempt to harm or kill the dog.
PREVENTION
– Vaccinate your dog or cat at 3 months of age at the veterinary hospital close to you
– Avoid letting your pets stray around
– Provide your pet with food and water daily – Keep your pet on a leash always when going out for walks