Rabies

What is Rabies

Rabies is also called as Hydrophobia. Rabies is an acute, fatal, infectious viral and deadly animal disease of the nervous system caused by the rabies virus.It primarily affecting animals, can be transmitted to humans through an infected animal's bite such as a bat, raccoon, skunk, dogs, cats or fox and can result in paralysis and death. The virus has a bullet-like shape with a length of about 180nm and a cross-sectional diameter of about 75nm.

Causes of Rabies

• It is caused by a virus which belongs to the Rhabdoviri family.
• Through infected mammals
• From the saliva of a rabid animal, usually from a bite

Symptoms of Rabies

• Abnormal postures
• Headache and fatigue
• Hyperactivity and hypersensitivity
• Loss of feeling in parts of the body

What are the treatments for Rabies?

• Thoroughly wash all bite wounds and scratches with soap and water or with 2% benzalkonium chloride.
• Rabies vaccine shots:- There are 4 types of Rabies vaccine shots:-human diploid cell vaccine (HDCV, Imovax), rabies rabies vaccine adsorbed (RVA), and RabAvert (rabies vaccine produced by Chiron), purified chick embryo cell culture vaccine [PCEC]. The dose for each is 1 cc, or milliliter, and it should be delivered into the muscle.
• A injection of human rabies immune globulin -HRIG (which helps the body to produce it's own antibodies and provides rapid, short-term protection against rabies) is given in series of five injections from the day after the animal bite.
• Children's are given human rabies immune globulin to the wound site.