Although rabies is a deadly viral infection spread by infected animals, there is hardly any awareness about the issue among Bangaloreans.
There are many myths in the minds of people about this disease. The general perception is that one needs to worry if the dog actually bites the victim.
We normally consult a doctor if the dog's teeth penetrate the skin. But what most of us don't know is that even a lick on broken skin or scratch can be fatal.
Though dogs are the most common animals that spread rabies, they are not the only ones that can spread the infection. Animals like cats and monkeys can also be the source for infection.
The current WHO guideline for Rabies Prevention after animal bite/scratch recommends the following:
Vaccination schedule: 0.5 or 1 ml intramuscula injection in the - upper arm on days
Day 0 is the day of first injection; preferably the day of the bite and all the other days are to be counted from this day onwards.
In case of small children, the vaccination is given in the antero-lateral aspect of thigh.
The vaccine shall never be injected into hips/gluteal region.
Rabies immunoglobulin has to be injected on DAY 0 in all category III bites.
People who have taken the vaccination earlier should inform the doctor about the same, as for them the vaccination schedule and number of doses may be different.
The vaccine can be taken even before coming in contact with an animal.
In this case, to maintain appropriate antibody levels in the body, one has to get re-vaccinated periodically as advised by his/her doctor.
Rabies is a fatal yet preventable disease. Even if you feel normal after ten days of the dog bite, beware you could still be infected with rabies.
Dr Sudarshan, MK, Dean,KIMS said, “You can get rabies usually between 30-90 days after being bitten by a dog. This time actually ranges between two weeks and six years. Because of the wide range of the time gap between the dog bite and appearance of symptoms, many people might avoid treatment if initially they do not observe any symptoms. This can prove to be dangerous later.”
He added, “Hence, post- bite/scratch/lick treatment should be given as soon as possible. However, even if people are late, then also it should be given. Factors which may influence the length of the time gap between the dog bite and appearance of symptoms include the site of bite, the amount of virus in saliva of the dog and the age and immune status of the victim. It is shorter in case the bite is closer to brain and massive dose of virus has been passed into the body.”