How we can infect by Rabbies.

Every pet owner should know for their pet and the people around their pet, I’m a pet owner too of 2 dogs, they are lovely but sometimes I was afraid that they might bite me, whatever we say they are still animal, for all we know if we saw a dog the first thing comes in our mind is the rabies. We know also that if we bite by the dog the cure is a lot of injection, and I’m afraid of injection. So first thing we should do is, our pet or dog must be vaccinated as the law required.


What is Rabies?

Rabies (from Latin: rabies, "madness") is a viral disease that causes acute encephalitis in warm-blooded animals.

Rabies is a preventable viral disease of mammals most often transmitted through the bite of a rabid animal. Any animal bitten or scratched by either a wild, carnivorous mammal or a bat that is not available for testing should be regarded as having been exposed to rabies.


How the rabies transmitted to human?

The disease is zoonotic, meaning it can be transmitted to humans from another species like dogs. Commonly by a bite from an infected animal. For a human, rabies is almost invariably fatal if postexposure prophylaxis is not administered prior to the onset of severe symptoms. The rabies virus infects the central nervous system, ultimately causing disease in the brain and death.


How it works in the body?

The rabies virus travels to the brain by following the peripheral nerves. The incubation period of the disease is usually a few months in humans, depending on the distance the virus must travel to reach the central nervous system. Once the rabies virus reaches the central nervous system and symptoms begin to show, the infection is virtually untreatable and usually fatal within days. So, don’t wait for months, if the animals like dog bite you seek immediate action.

http://www.petwise.co.za/live/content.php?Item_ID=5373%3D

What are the symptoms of rabies for a person?

The first symptoms of rabies may be very similar to those of the flu including general weakness or discomfort, fever, or headache. These symptoms may last for days. There may be also discomfort or a prickling or itching sensation at the site of bite, progressing within days to symptoms of cerebral dysfunction, anxiety, confusion, agitation. As the disease progresses, the person may experience delirium, abnormal behavior, hallucinations, and insomnia.The acute period of disease typically ends after 2 to 10 days. Once clinical signs of rabies appear, the disease is nearly always fatal, and treatment is typically supportive and the primary cause of death is usually respiratory insufficiency.

http://www.marvistavet.com/html/rabies.html

Signs and Symptoms of Rabies for animals

Once infection occurs, in the animal, the rabies virus grows in muscle tissue and may go undetected for several days or months. During this incubation period, the animal appears healthy and shows no sign of infection. Usually within 1 to 3 months, the virus migrates to the nerves near the site of the infection and spreads to the spinal cord and brain (the central nervous system). It usually takes from 12 to 180 days to spread through the peripheral nerves to the central nervous system. At this point, the disease progresses rapidly, and the animal begins to show the classic behavioral signs of rabies. The virus spreads to the saliva, tears, breast milk and urine. The animal usually dies in 4 or 5 days. The infection progresses in a predictable manner,


The first sign usually is a change in behavior. Pet owners should be aware that behavioral changes can occur as a result of many conditions, from digestive disorders to poisoning. The early symptoms of rabies tend to be subtle, last 2 to 3 days. Symptoms included,

• Animals usually stop eating and drinking, and may appear to want to be left alone.
• Change in tone of the dog's bark, chewing at the bite site, Fever, Loss of appetite
• Craving to eat anything, including inedible objects
• Constant growling and barking
• Dilated pupils, Disorientation, Erratic behavior, Episodes of aggression,
• Facial expression showing anxiety and hyperalertness, Irritability,
• No fear of natural enemies (e.g., wild animals may not be afraid of people), Restlessness, Roaming, Seizures,
• Trembling and muscle incoordination, Paralytic Phase, Appearance of choking, Dropping of the lower jaw (in dogs)
• Inability to swallow, leading to drooling and foaming of saliva (i.e., "foaming at the mouth"),
• The Became Mad Dog "Mad Dog Syndrome"
• An infected dog may viciously attack any moving object, person, or animal; a caged rabid dog will chew the wire, break their teeth, and try to bite a hand moving in front of the cage. Rabid cats will attack suddenly, biting and scratching. Foxes will invade yards and attack dogs, cows, and porcupines.

After the initial onset of symptoms, the animal may become vicious or begin to show signs of paralysis. Paralysis of jaw, throat, and chewing muscles. some rabid animals bite at the slightest provocation and others may be somnolent and difficult to arouse. Once the animal shows signs of paralysis, the disease progresses very quickly.


Treatment and prevention

Treatment after exposure is highly successful in preventing the disease if administered promptly, in general within 10 days of infection. 
Give the patients one dose of human rabies immunoglobulin (HRIG) and four doses of rabies vaccine over a 14-day period. The immunoglobulin dose should not exceed 20 units per kilogram body weight As much as possible of this dose should be infiltrated around the bites, with the remainder being given by deep intramuscular injection at a site distant from the vaccination site.
The pain and side effects of modern cell-based vaccines are similar to flu shots. The old nerve-tissue-based vaccinations that require multiple painful injections into the abdomen with a large needle are inexpensive, but are being phased out and replaced by affordable World Health Organization intradermal-vaccination regimens.


Secondary prevention: stopping infection in its tracks.

If a person is bitten by a rabid animal, it is still possible to prevent rabies if the individual quickly receives appropriate medical treatment. The treatment - known as rabies postexposure prophylaxis, consists of immediately washing bite wounds, thoroughly washing the wound as soon as possible with soap and water for approximately five minutes is very effective in reducing the number of viral particles. Receiving rabies immune globulin (pre-formed antibodies that begin to immediately neutralize rabies virus), and getting a series of vaccine doses. If received appropriately and shortly after exposure, postexposure prophylaxis is nearly 100 percent effective in preventing rabies from developing. 

Rabies affects both to human and animal, so, we should take care our pet as well taking care of our selves, maintain cleanliness both in our place and their place.


Site references/sources: cdc Foundation. cdc. wikipedia. health communities. mayo clinic.