World Rabies Day 2014: #TogetherAgainstRabies. Rabies and World Rabies Day.
Rabies information you need to know
Transcript of Rabies information you need to know
RabiesInformation you need to know
Marit MerkusFounder & President Canine Life Support
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The word ‘rabies’
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Rabies is derrived from the Latin word rabere, which means to rage or rave. This Latin word in turn might find its roots in the Sanskrit word rabhas: to do violence.
The Greeks referred to rabies as lyssa or lytta which means frenzy or madness. They called human rabies hydrophobia: fear of water, which is one of the symptoms shown by human victims.
Rabies history
Rabies may be one of the oldest infectious diseases known to man. It has been known since as early as 2000 BC.
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30
BC
The fir
st writ
ten
reco
rd on
rabie
s
Homer likens Hector to a “raging dog”
in The Iliad
80
0-7
00
BC
50
0 B
C
Democ
ritus
repo
rts a ca
se of
canin
e ra
bies
40
0 B
C
Aristotle writes that “dogs suffer from
the madness.
00
1-1
00
AD
The Ro
man
Car
danu
s des
cribe
s
saliv
a fro
m a ra
bid dog
as a
viru
s –
the La
tin w
ord for p
oison
80
1-9
00
AD
Rhazes, a Persian physician identifies
hydrophobia and further describes rabies
symptom
s in humans
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26
first
writte
n men
tion
of
rabie
s in
Great
Brit
ain
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98
Moses M
aimonides lists various “rem
edies against
the bite of mad dogs” in his treatist, Poisons and
their Antidotes
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71
Rabid
wolv
es in
vade
towns
and
villag
es in
Ger
man
y, killi
ng 3
0 pe
ople
Rabies spreads through Europe in the
18th century
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00
17
03
First
case
of r
abies
repo
rted in
the
Amer
icas
17
34
Canine rabies appears in England
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50
Rabie
s is r
epor
ted in
Barb
ados
amon
g
dogs
and
hog
s
17
59
-17
62
Serious outbreaks in London. reward for
killing dogs
17
63
Serio
us out
brea
ks in
Fran
ce, I
taly,
Spa
in.
Mass s
laugh
ter o
f dog
s
17
76
-17
78
Rabies appears in the French West Indies
18
04
German
scien
tist Z
inke sh
ows r
abies
is
pass
ed th
roug
h sa
liva
18
35
Rabies appears Chile. Many people die.
18
81
Fren
ch ch
emist
Lou
is Pas
teur
star
ts
rese
arch
on
rabie
s
18
85
Pasteur administers the rabies
vaccine for the first time.
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59
Dr. Ro
bert
Kiss
ling
deve
lopes
the
fluor
esce
nt ant
ibody
test
for r
abies
.
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Louis Pasteur (1822 - 1895) was a French chemist and microbiologist.
In 1880 he started his work on rabies and in 1885 administered the vaccine for the first time on a human.
In 1886 he concluded: "Rabies prophylaxis after a bite is justified. There is cause to create a rabies vaccine establishment". He immediately launched an international fund.
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Did you know?
In the 1957 Walt Disney film ‘Old Yeller’ the dog suffers from rabies.
They suspect one of the cows to be rabid and when they burn its body after shooting the cow, a rabid wolf attacks Katie and Lisbeth and Yeller is bitten. Yeller eventually develops rabies and Travis is forced to shoot him.
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What is rabies?
Rabies is a viral infection attacking the central nervous system.
Rabies causes inflammation of the brain. This causes pressure on various areas of the brain, resulting in diverse symptoms.
It is usually spread through the bite or scratch of an infected animal. The saliva of an infected animal contains high concentrations of the virus.
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Who’s at risk?
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All mammals can get rabies but only a few species are important as reservoirs for the disease.
Rabies is a zoonotic disease. This means that it can be transmitted from animals to humans.
Rabies is present in more than 150 countries and territories. Worldwide, every year more than 55.000 people die of rabies.
40% of human deaths are children under the age of 15. Dogs are the source of 99% of human rabies deaths.
The rabies virus first connects to the receptors on the muscle cells of the bite wound before it binds itself to the nervous tissue.
The time of infection to the time of symptoms can vary with the number of bites, the amount of transmitted virus, age and health of the victim and the proximity to the central nervous system.
This means it can take anywhere from a few days to even a few years before symptoms show but on average it takes between 30-90 days.
Infection
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Symptoms
The first symptoms can be flu-like, such as general weakness, fever or headache. These symptoms last a few days.
There can be an itchy sensation at the bite wound and within days symptoms turn into anxiety, confusion, agitation. As the disease spreads, the person may experience delirium, abnormal behavior, hallucinations, and insomnia.
Once clinical symptoms of rabies appear, the disease is nearly always fatal, and treatment is typically supportive.
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RABIES IS 100% PREVENTABLE!
Vaccination Education
The good news
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• Be careful and act responsibly around stray animals
• Get your pets vaccinated against rabies
• Learn how to recognize an animal with rabies
• Know how to avoid dog bites
• Learn about dog body language
Prevention is the best medicine
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Animal etiquette
• Don’t run, scream or throw anything at an animal
• Don’t look an animal straight in the eye
• Don’t disturb an animal who is sleeping, eating or caring for pups
• If an animal is injured, ask a local veterinarian or official for help
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How to avoid a dogbite
When a growling dog approaches you, don’t run away. Instead:
• Stand still.
• Keep your arms down, hands close to your body.
• Look to the ground, avoid direct eye contact with the dog.
• If a dog knocks you over, curl up, lie still and protect your face with your hands.
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If you are bitten
• Wash the wound immediately with lots of water and soap
• Seek medical attention right away
• If you were bitten by a stray dog, report the description of the dog and the location. Explain the situation and mention any abnormalities in the dog’s behavior.
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Learning resources
There are some excellent rabies learning resources available on the internet. To name just a few:
Global Alliance for Rabies Control - www.rabiescontrol.net
World Rabies Day - www.worldrabiesday.org
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - www.cdc.gov/rabies
Rabies: a comprehensive guide - www.rabiesinfection.com
Sharing is Caring! Share your knowledge and raise awareness!
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Sources
• Rabies free world• Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources• Rabies: a comprehensive guide• Institut Pasteur• Wikipedia• The unity and diversity of life• Jetwing eco holidays publications• Stanford university• Centers for disease control and prevention• World Society for the Protection of Animals• Doggone Safe
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