What is Rabies?

Rabies is a disease caused by a virus that spreads through the saliva of an infected animal with rabies and is transmitted when it bites a person or other animal. It is also transmitted when an animal with rabies salivates your wound or or salivates your mucous membranes like your eyes or mouth.

What causes rabies?

Rabies is caused by the rabies virus. The virus spreads throughout the body until it reaches and infects your brain, and it is deadly. After being bitten by an animal with rabies, the virus stays in your muscles. Usually, the rabies virus stays for about one to three months (incubation period) near the part of the body where it enters, such as your wound, or in the open parts of your body through the mouth or eyes. Until the virus travels and passes through your veins to the brain, and from there it returns again and passes through your veins and spreads to all parts of your body.

Any kind of animal can spread rabies like bats, cats but the most common here among us are dogs. But the rabies virus is also found in cattle, buffaloes, goats, pigs and horses.

The local government in the area health department often informs the public what animals carry the rabies virus in the area.

What are the risks of contracting rabies?

Any activities or activities that you will be exposed to in high-risk areas of animals with rabies virus such as traveling to areas in Africa and Southeast Asia that cover the Philippines; entering caves with bats or camping without protective equipment for stray animals. All of this increases the likelihood of contracting rabies.

What are the symptoms of rabies infection?

Symptoms of rabies infection can be seen within the first week of infection.

Its early symptoms are weakness, fever, and headache. But if there is no chance that you have been exposed to rabies, do not suspect these symptoms that you may have been infected with rabies, as it may also be a symptom that you have another illness such as the common flu or some other type of virus.

Rabies infections are divided into two forms:

The patient becomes paralyzed (about 20% of cases), the patient's muscles gradually become paralyzed (usually starting at where he was bitten). It leads to coma and death.

The patient becomes aggressive (about 80% of cases), the patient often shows excessive activity, anxiety, confusion, hallucinations, excessive salivation, hydrophobia (or fear and reluctance to water); difficulty chewing.

When such symptoms appear, the patient will soon die.

How is rabies treated?

Treatment is recommended when a health expert thinks you have been exposed to an animal with rabies. If the animal does not have any symptoms, it will be observed for 10 days and tested for rabies virus. If the animal is not found, consult the local health department office for further advice.

Here are the procedures to determine if it is necessary to provide the patient with a so-called protective treatment:

Was the patient bitten, and which part of the body was bitten? Any penetration into the skin is also thought to bite, but biting the face and hands is the most dangerous.

Not bitten: Did animal saliva reach your wound or your mucous membrane (mouth, nose, eyes)?

Animal conditions: in America, no rabies infection has been reported even if it has been bitten by a dog or cat that has been given a good vaccine against rabies.

Since rabies is deadly, it is best to give the patient a series of immunizations until new information becomes available. First, he will be given rabies immune globulinna which will help prevent the virus from infecting the individual. It is placed close to which part of the body was bitten.

This will be followed by four more injections over the next two weeks. These vaccines will help the body fight the rabies virus.

Is it possible to prevent rabies? Is there a rabies vaccine?

Rabies can be prevented by taking good care of pets. Give them a vaccine, and do not bring them close to respectful animals. When traveling, beware of stray animals. If it is necessary to go to areas where rabies cases are high, get vaccinated first as protection.