September 28th every year is “World Rabies Day”. Because dogs and cats look cute and very lovable, they have now become part of many families. Even if they encounter stray cats and dogs outside, they will inevitably touch them, and it is inevitable...
September 28th every year is “World Rabies Day”.
Because dogs and cats look cute and very lovable, they have now become part of many families. Even if they encounter stray cats and dogs outside, they will inevitably touch them, and it is inevitable to be scratched or bitten. So, what should you do if you are accidentally scratched or bitten? Can I get rabies? Do I need to get vaccinated?
"World Rabies Day" is approaching, let's talk about rabies.
What is rabies
Rabies, also known as hydrophobia, is an animal-borne infectious disease caused by rabies virus infection and mainly manifests symptoms of the central nervous system. Clinical manifestations include specific fear of wind, hydrophobia, pharyngeal muscle spasm, and progressive paralysis. Once the disease occurs, the mortality rate is almost 100%, posing a serious threat to human life and health.
Can you get rabies if bitten by a cat or dog?
The US CDC clearly states that all mammals can suffer from rabies.
Cats and dogs are mammals, so if they are bitten, they may contract rabies. However, you will not be infected with rabies if:
Domestic cats and dogs in big cities who are regularly vaccinated;
have clear origins, are kept at home, and do not roam outside;
have never been exposed to mammals suspected of being rabies;
the animals show no signs of illness or abnormal behavior, and are bitten for good reasons, such as being forcefully pulled, teased, protecting food, protecting children, or being hurt;
the animals have been vaccinated against effective rabies vaccines.
Joint research by the Institute of Infectious Disease Control and Prevention of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. CDC, the Guizhou Provincial CDC, the University of Georgia and other units has shown that healthy pets do not transmit rabies virus.
What should you do after being bitten?
The National Health Commission recently issued the "Notice on the Issuance of Standards for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Common Animal Injuries (2021 Edition)" stating:
The correct treatment after being bitten by an animal is particularly critical. The following is the most common dog bite as an example:
1. Do not delay treatment
Delayed treatment after a bite is one of the important factors leading to the high incidence of infection after dog bites.
Patients who present more than 24 hours after injury are likely to have an infection, and the reason for presentation is often because of infectious symptoms or signs.
2. Hemostasis of bleeding wounds
For wounds with active bleeding, direct compression should be used to stop bleeding, and neurovascular assessment should be performed in the distal area of the wound.
3. Rinse and clean the wound
Use soapy water (or other weak alkaline cleaning agent) and flowing water under a certain pressure to clean all bite wounds alternately for about 15 minutes, and then use sterile gauze or absorbent cotton to absorb the residual fluid from the wound. If the pain is severe during cleaning, local anesthesia can be given.
If conditions permit, professional cleaning equipment can be used to flush the inside of the wound to ensure effective flushing. Finally, rinse the wound with physiological saline to avoid leaving soapy water or other cleaning agents on the wound.
4. Disinfection
After thorough washing, apply or clean the inside of the wound with dilute iodophor or other medical preparations with the ability to inactivate viruses, which can inactivate the remaining rabies virus in the wound.
5. Vaccination and injection of passive immune preparations
Generally, those who are bitten will receive one shot of rabies vaccine on days 0 (day 1, the same day), day 3 (day 4, and so on), day 7, day 14, and day 28, for a total of 5 shots. The doses for adults and children are the same.
For severe bites (those who are bitten in three places on the head, face, neck, fingers, or multiple parts of the body, or who are bitten and lick the mucous membrane), in addition to injecting rabies vaccine according to the above method, double the amount should be injected on days 0 and 3.
If the trauma is deep, wide, severe, or occurs on the head, face, neck, hands, etc., rabies serum should be injected immediately. The serum contains high-potency anti-rabies immune globulin, which can directly neutralize the rabies virus. It should be applied as soon as possible, immediately after the injury. It is almost ineffective if used one week after the injury.
Must be vaccinated within 24 hours after being bitten?
No vaccination is required for bites from healthy dogs (cats).
Dogs are not born with rabies virus in their bodies; the virus is passed from one infected animal to another. If a dog gets sick, it may have the following symptoms:
Early stage: It shows obvious changes in temperament, such as worry or fear, and nervousness.
Excited period: It manifests as restlessness, running around, biting and barking erratically. At this time, it can no longer recognize strangers and acquaintances, and appears to attack others.
Late stage: Difficulty breathing quickly occurs, and the whole body collapses and dies.
However, suspicious dogs that appear to be healthy still require laboratory testing to determine whether they are sick.
Being bitten by a suspicious animal requires vaccination.
The rabies vaccine should be injected as soon as possible after being bitten by a suspicious animal. The earlier the vaccination, the better the effect. There is no such thing as 24 or 72 hours. As long as there is no illness, the vaccine can work.
In addition to injecting vaccines, animals also need to be observed.
Dogs, cats and other warm-blooded animals will 100% die within 3 to 5 days after the onset of rabies (some literature mentions a rare death in 8 days).
The World Health Organization specifically stated that the "10-day observation method" applies globally. 10 days is the safe observation period specially extended by the World Health Organization. If the biting animal does not die, it can be judged that the person has not been infected with rabies, and rabies vaccination can be terminated and continued injections.