Rabies is a viral zoonotic disease that causes progressive and fatal inflammation of the brain and spinal cord. Clinically, it has two forms:
Although fatal once clinical signs appear, rabies is entirely avoidable; vaccines, medicines and technologies have long been available to prevent death from rabies. Nevertheless, rabies still kills tens of thousands of people each year. Of these cases, approximately 99% are acquired from the bite of an infected dog.
Dog-mediated human rabies can be eliminated by tackling the disease at its source: infected dogs. Making people aware of how to avoid the bites of rabid dogs, to seek treatment when bitten and to vaccinate animals can successfully disrupt the rabies transmission cycle.
Rabies is estimated to cause 59 000 human deaths annually in over 150 countries, with 95% of cases occurring in Africa and Asia. Due to underreporting and uncertain estimates, this number is likely a gross underestimate. The burden of disease is disproportionally borne by rural poor populations, with approximately half of cases attributable to children under 15 years of age.
Rabies is a viral zoonotic disease that causes progressive and fatal inflammation of the brain and spinal cord. Clinically, it has two forms:
Early symptoms of a rabies infection can include a fever with pain and unusual or unexplained tingling, pricking or burning sensation (paraesthesia) at the wound site. In later states, the virus spreads to the central nervous system, causing fatal inflammation of the brain and spinal cord. The incubation period of the disease can vary from 1 week to 1 year, though it is typically 2–3 months.
If a dog has rabies and it bites you it can give you the disease. If you get bitten, wash your wound immediately and thoroughly, and get medical help - it could save your life.
Here are 5 tips to prevent dog bites
It is celebrated annually to raise awareness about rabies prevention and to highlight progress in defeating this horrifying disease.
28 September also marks the anniversary of Louis Pasteur's death, the French chemist and microbiologist, who developed the first rabies vaccine.
Today, safe and efficacious animal and human vaccines are among the important tools that exist to eliminate human deaths from rabies while awareness is the key driver for success of communities to engage in effective rabies prevention.
Rabies Dog Language