What is rabies?

Rabies, also known as hydrophobia, has clinical manifestations such as fear of water, fear of wind, pharyngeal muscle spasm, progressive paralysis, etc. It is an acute contact infectious disease that is common to humans and animals. Dogs, cats, rabbits, bats, poultry, livestock and wild animals may be infected, and the disease is most common in spring and summer.

The transmission route of rabies

(Same as humans and animals)

1. The virus in the saliva of animals during the disease stage is infected through bites or licking wounds.

2. Broken skin comes into contact with the blood of sick animals, mostly due to accidental pricking of hands when slaughtering animals.

3. Dog meat and wild animal meat of unknown origin are not fully disinfected and can lead to digestive tract infection after consumption. (According to the New York Times: Guangxi is one of the five provinces with the largest number of human rabies cases, most of which occur in Yulin.)

Rabies has a high mortality rate and a low infection rate.

Once symptoms of rabies appear, death will occur in an average of 4-6 days. There is currently no effective treatment, and it can be said that the mortality rate is almost 100%. However, no animal is born with rabies virus. For people who do not slaughter or eat dog meat, they will only be infected if bitten by an animal that carries the virus and is in the disease stage. The incidence rate after infection is 30%-70%.

The incubation period of rabies is related to the bite site

The longest incubation period currently found is 6 years, basically 1-3 months. According to the World Health Organization, there are no long-term potential cases of rabies. The length of the incubation period is related to the site of the bite. The more abundant the nerves, the shorter the latency (head, neck, hands, etc.), and the closer the nerves are to the central nervous system.

What to do if accidentally bitten

>>> Learn how to deal with emergency self-rescue:

1. Squeeze the wound to drain the blood as much as possible;

2. Rinse with soapy water and running water for about fifteen minutes;

3. Disinfect with iodine or alcohol;

4. Go to the hospital for treatment as soon as possible.

(Do not suck out dirty blood with your mouth, and try not to bandage the wound.)

>>> Understand how the hospital handles:

1.Cleaning and disinfection;

2.Inject rabies vaccine;

3. Inject immune globulin or anti-rabies serum as appropriate.

(Vaccine can be understood as a race against rabies virus. The sooner it is injected, the better. But it is not limited to 24 hours and is effective before the onset of illness.)

Whether vaccination is needed

(Representing only general views, please follow your doctor’s advice for specific circumstances.)

▲ If bitten by a healthy dog, it is known that the dog is immune on time and the wound needs to be treated.

▲ If bitten by an unfamiliar dog, treat the wound immediately and inject rabies vaccine.

▲ If bitten by a dog with abnormal behavior, treat the wound immediately, inject immune globulin or anti-rabies serum, and inject rabies vaccine on time.

Rabies vaccine injection cycle

On the day of the bite, 3 days later, 7 days later, 14 days later, 28 days later.

Ten-day observation method

Observe the dog that bit you. If there is no death or abnormality within 10 days, the chance of infection can be ruled out and the vaccination can be stopped.

If an accident occurs, do not shirk responsibility from the animal.

Look for problems from the "human" aspect!

Don’t abandon them for adoption: Many stray dogs are originally pets and should be kept responsibly.

Required leash: Avoid the trouble caused by dog ​​biting.

Neuterable: Dogs are more docile and stray animals are reduced from the source.

Timely immunization: Prevent your pets from being infected with rabies.

Exaggerated publicity about rabies will only lead to public panic and the use of a large number of unnecessary vaccines. Without treatment, comprehensive animal immunity, prevention is the key to reducing and preventing the spread of rabies.