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

10

26

first

writte

n men

tion

of

rabie

s in

Great

Brit

ain

11

98

Moses M

aimonides lists various “rem

edies against

the bite of mad dogs” in his treatist, Poisons and

their Antidotes

12

71

Rabid

wolv

es in

vade

towns

and

villag

es in

Ger

man

y, kil

ling 30

peo

ple

Rabies spreads through Europe in the

18th century

17

00

17

03

First

case

of r

abies

repo

rted in

the

Amer

icas

17

34

Canine rabies appears in England

17

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.

19

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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www.caninelifesupport.com

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