Rabies Free Country – Death Rate Down To Zero By 2030

Rabies is usually communicated through an animal like from stray dogs. The rabies virus is found in the nervous tissue of diseased mammals. As the virus access its way to the brain, it begins to be stashed in the saliva of the animal. People and mammals get rabies when infectious saliva is introduced into the body, usually through a bite from an infected animal. This rope of rabies can cause hyperactivity, hydrophobia, and aerophobia. After a few days, the sign can get infected to go into a coma and later die. It is mainly a disease of animals, but humans can get rabies when animals infected with the disease bite them. In people, the time between initial contact with the virus and onset of the disease generally ranges from two to eight weeks. In rare cases, it can vary from 10 days to 2 years. The incubation period is shorter in children and in people exposed to a large dose of the rabies virus.

Any mammal can get rabies. The most common wild reservoirs of rabies are raccoons, skunks, bats, foxes, and coyotes. Domestic mammals can also get rabies. Cats, cattle, and dogs are the most reported rabid domestic animals in the United States. Rabies-free countries are Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Fiji, Guam, Hawaii, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Japan, and Taiwan/ROC. Vaccination after exposure, PEP, is highly successful in preventing the disease if administered promptly, in general within 6 days of infection.

 Rabies is a serious public health problem in Philippines. The Philippines is among the top 10 countries with the highest incidence of rabies in the world. Department of Health (DOH) officials calculated that 200 to 300 die from rabies annually and about a lakh Filipinos are treated for dog bites. Rabies is still a massive obstacle because a lot of pet owners are not posted about the dangers of rabies and how it is distributed. Other pet owners are skeptical to give their pets rabies vaccines because they feel it is too much of an expense. Also, there are a lot of stray dogs and cats wandering the streets. They are more likely to become rabid and bite or scratch people, a province in the north of the country, managed to eliminate rabies in dogs and humans in just two years.

 Community health workers were trained to support veterinarians. Together, they arranged vaccination drives and even went door-to-door to reach owners who were unable to bring their pets. Rabies-control education was also united into the school curriculum, teaching children about responsible pet ownership and what to do if someone is bitten by a dog. Vaccine banks are helping countries, including the Philippines, with access to more affordable supplies of quality vaccines. Free online educational tools are now available to train rabies educators, dog vaccinators and those who can support vaccination programs. “We have seen it happen in Ilocos Norte in the Philippines and we know it can happen elsewhere. There is a plan for how to activate change and we have no time to lose. On World Rabies Day (September 28), communities around the world said we can and must bring deaths from rabies down to zero by 2030.” Said Dr Louise Taylor is scientific director of the Global Alliance for Rabies Control

Varun

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