INTRODUCTION

In the past, human cases of rabies in the United States were usually caused by a dog bite. Recently, more human cases of rabies have been linked to raccoons and bats.

WHAT IS RABIES?

This infection is caused by the rabies virus. Rabies is spread by infected saliva that enters the body through a bite or cut in the skin. The virus travels from the wound to the brain, where it causes swelling or inflammation. This inflammation causes the symptoms of the disease. Most rabies deaths occur in children.

In the past, human rabies cases in the United States were usually caused by a dog bite. Recently, more human rabies cases have been linked to raccoons and bats. Dog bites represent a common cause of rabies in developing countries, especially in Asia and Africa. In the United States, rabies cases caused by dog bites have not been reported for many years, due to widespread vaccination of animals.

Other wild animals that can spread the rabies virus include:

• Foxes
• Skunks
• Bats

Bats can spread rabies through minor or unrecognised bites or scratches. Bites can be so small that you may not realise you have been bitten. If you find a bat in your home, you should contact your health care provider or health department, even if you don't feel or see a bite. They can advise you if you need treatment.

Rarely, rabies has been transmitted without an actual bite. This type of infection is thought to be caused by infected saliva or other infectious material that may come into contact with an existing scratch or wound, usually in bat caves.

For more than 4,000 years, rabies has been a plague in almost every corner of the world, and every effort has been made to eliminate it. Although rabies has been eliminated in Western Europe, North America, Japan, South Korea and parts of Latin America, the viral disease is still present in large parts of Africa and Asia.

Most rabies deaths in both humans and animals are due to inadequate access to public health resources and preventive treatments, causing low-income countries to be disproportionately affected by the disease.

HOW IS RABIES TRANSMITTED?

A person or animal usually contracts the rabies virus when bitten by an infected animal. It can also be contracted if the saliva of a rabid animal comes into contact with an open wound or mucous membranes (eyes, nose and mouth).

RABIES SYMPTOMATOLOGY

Let's focus on dogs.

The incubation period (between infection and outbreak of the disease) is between two and 24 weeks. However, this period depends on where the virus enters. The closer the bite is to the central nervous system, the faster the dog becomes ill.

As rabies viruses also spread via the neural pathways, different symptoms appear depending on the time. Therefore, veterinarians divide the symptoms into three phases, which sometimes overlap:

• PRODROMIC PHASE (2-5 DAYS): The first phase usually lasts several days and is mainly manifested by changes in behaviour. For example, wary dogs suddenly become confident. Photosensitivity, difficulty swallowing and increased salivation also occur.
  
  
• FURIOUS PHASE (2-7 DAYS): The next phase is furious rabies. The affected dog is nervous, violent and easily irritated. He bites seemingly unrestrained and is disoriented. Salivation and difficulty in swallowing increase.
  
  
• PARALYTIC PHASE (3-4 DAYS): In the paralytic phase, the dog suffers paralysis and spasms, followed by coma and death.
  Not all affected animals go through all these classic phases of rabies in dogs. In some dogs, the prodromal phase is directly followed by the paralytic phase.
  
  

CAN ALL PETS BECOME INFECTED WITH RABIES?

Not all, as domestic animals such as rabbits, guinea pigs, rats or hamsters cannot become infected as such or it is extremely difficult and rare, because the vast majority do not survive a predator attack, even more so if the predator is rabid or aggressive.

CONCLUSION

The best way to keep pets safe from rabies is to vaccinate them and keep their vaccinations up to date. If your pet has been injured by a rabid animal, contact your veterinarian for medical attention.