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Rabies. By: Laura Gomez. What is it?. Rabies is a contagious and deadly viral disease of mammals that causes madness and convulsions, as well as other symptoms, and can be passed on to humans by saliva. In detail.
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Rabies By: Laura Gomez
What is it? Rabies is a contagious and deadly viral disease of mammals that causes madness and convulsions, as well as other symptoms, and can be passed on to humans by saliva.
In detail • Rabies is a virus, and there is only two physical variations of it: encephalitic and paralytic • Encephalitic is the one is people usually hear about, and it’s the one associated with mad dogs, and foaming at the mouth. Encephalitic occurs during the rabies’ acute stage. (This is when the rabies has entered the body, symptoms have been shown and no recovery is possible. • The paralytic form of rabies is often times the less heard of the two. This type of rabies is called the “dumb form.” Paralytic is no less deadly than encephalitic, but it’s less painful. Unsurprisingly, Paralytic causes paralysis.
Who gets it? • Humans and animals that have been bitten by an infected human/animal get the disease.
Symptoms • Fever • Headache • Nausea • Vomiting • Agitation • Anxiety • Confusion • Hyperactivity • Difficulty swallowing • Excessive saliva • Fear of water (hydrophobia) because of the difficulty in swallowing • Hallucinations • Insomnia • Partial paralysis
Cures • Rabies is a curable disease. However, the cure is only possible if people seek medical help as soon as possible. Once bitten, clean wound thoroughly with soap and water. Preventive vaccines will then be administered for about 28 days, five doses given per day.
Prevention • Of course, the easiest way to deal with rabies, is by never getting it at all. To prevent from getting rabies: • Avoid contact with animals you don't know. • Get vaccinated if you work in a high-risk occupation or travel to countries with a high rate of rabies. • Make sure your pets receive the necessary immunizations. • Follow quarantine regulations on importing dogs and other animals in disease-free countries.
Rabies (In the beginning) • The rabies vaccine was first made by the French scientist Louis Pasteur in the 19th century. • This rabies vaccine was actually the first vaccine developed in a laboratory. • Pasteur made the vaccine using a bit of the rabies virus gotten from several dead rabbits. The scientist weakened the virus so when injected into a human, the shot won’t make the disease worse. He did this by allowing the virus to dry for five to ten days. • Pasteur’s vaccine was first used on a human on July 6, 1885, on nine-year-old boy who had been attacked by an infected dog. The boy lived. • Before this vaccine, rabies was almost always fatal. • This method is still sometimes used in developing countries as it is cheaper than modern vaccines, but less efficient.
Rabies around the world. • Although rabies is no longer a great concern to the western world, other parts of the world are not as lucky. Between 30,000 and 70,000 people every year contract rabies. The US only gets about 2-3 cases of rabies each year, and the concern for rabies lies in developing countries where rabid dogs lurk around. The main issue with these countries is that the population cannot afford vaccinations, therefore every case of rabies on a human is almost always fatal.
Cont. • The New York Times estimates that the annual global cost of rabies is approximately $583 million. What it really comes down to is the $40 cost of each vaccine. Although forty bucks isn’t a lot to us, it’s next to impossible to afford for rural areas in Asia and Africa. Also, rabies vaccines are much more expensive in developed countries because the series of shots contains a dose of immunoglobulin, which protects the body until it has created antibodies. Charities are available to help out the situation, but there is still a long way to go before rabies is completely gone.
Credits • "WHO | Rabies." WHO | Rabies. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2014. <http://www.who.int/rabies/en/>. • "Rabies Facts USA and Worldwide." (n.d.): n. pag. Medical News Today: Health News. Web. 20 Feb. 2014. <http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/7050.php>. • Obenschain, Chris. "How Rabies Works." HowStuffWorks. HowStuffWorks.com, 01 Sept. 2009. Web. 09 Mar. 2014. <http://science.howstuffworks.com/zoology/all-about-animals/rabies6.htm>. • "Rabies around the World." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 22 Apr. 2011. Web. 09 Mar. 2014. <http://www.cdc.gov/rabies/location/world/>.
