WHAT IS RABIES?

 Rabies is a viral disease that is spread through the animal bite such as dog. It is caused by the infection of rabies virus. The infection is caused by this, leads to encephalomyelitis that is the inflammation of the brain cells as well as the spinal cord. The transmission of the virus happens through saliva and affects the central nervous system. This virus belongs to the family called Rhabdoviridae . It takes the shape of bullet. Animals such as dogs, rabbits, fox etc carry this virus and transmit the disease to humans beings. Usually , this causes about 24,000-60,000 deaths worldwide per year.

Transmission

The animal which is affected by the virus transmits the disease to the human through saliva. Rabies virus enters into tissues and starts to multiply. The transmission of virus might happen between animals also. After it has affected  the tissues the virus travels to the central nervous system through spinal code . Then it reaches brain and causes brain disorder which in turn causes a number of symptoms to arouse in the human body . There are chances of it causing the death of the person.  The disease has an incubation period of about 3-12 weeks , later it progresses with various symptoms.

Symptoms

• Develop fear from water.
• Swelling in the brain and the spinal cord.
• Frequent headache.
• Nausea.
• Stomach ache.
• Muscle cramps.
• Drowsiness.
• Insomnia.
• Severe fever.
• Anxiety.
• Hallucination
• Excess secretion of saliva.
• Difficulty in swallowing.

Control and prevention

• Vaccination to prevent infection.
• Vaccinating pets against the disease.
• Maintain distance with wild animals.
• Wash wounds with soap and water.
• Keep pets away from stray dogs.
• Prevent bats wandering around living places.