Rabies Vaccination in India
Rabies Disease and Vaccination
What Is Rabies?
Rabies is a rare but serious disease caused by the rabies virus. It affects the nerves and the brain. The virus is usually transmitted by a bite from an infected animal. Rabies can be prevented if the bitten person gets treatment quickly. If a person is not treated and develops rabies, it is almost always fatal.
What Are the Signs & Symptoms of Rabies?
The first symptoms of rabies can appear from a few days to more than a year after the bite happens. Initially, there may be a tingling, prickling, or itching sensation around the bite area. A person might also experience flu-like symptoms such as fever, headache, muscle aches, loss of appetite, nausea, and tiredness.
After a few days, neurological symptoms develop, including:
- Irritability or aggressiveness
- Excessive movements or agitation
- Confusion, bizarre or strange thoughts, or hallucinations
- Muscle spasms and unusual postures
- Seizures (convulsions)
- Weakness or paralysis (when someone cannot move a part of the body)
- Extreme sensitivity to bright lights, sounds, or touch
What Causes Rabies?
Rabies is caused by the rabies virus. Infected animals have the virus in their saliva. The virus enters the body through broken skin or the eyes, nose, or mouth, and travels through nerves to the brain, where it multiplies and causes inflammation and damage. Exposure to rabid dogs is the most common cause of transmission to humans.
Is Rabies Contagious?
Rabies is not contagious in the sense that it does not spread from person to person. The virus most often spreads through bites from an infected animal. However, it may also spread if the animal’s saliva gets directly into a person’s eyes, nose, mouth, or an open wound (such as a scratch or a scrape).
How Is Rabies Diagnosed?
A biting animal that is caught may be tested to check if the virus is in its brain, but it may need to be euthanized (put to sleep) first. If it is a healthy pet, such as a dog, cat, or ferret, experts recommend watching the animal for 10 days to see if it gets sick.
Doctors give two shots as soon as possible:
- Rabies immune globulin: This provides immediate protection while the vaccine starts working.
- Rabies vaccine: This is given as a series of four doses on days 0, 3, 7, and 14 (day 0 is the day of the first dose). People with a weakened immune system receive an additional dose on day 28.
How Is Exposure to Rabies Prevented?
To reduce the chances of rabies exposure:
- Vaccinate your pets.
- Report stray animals to your local health authorities.
- Remind children not to touch or feed stray cats or dogs wandering in the neighborhood or elsewhere.
What Else Should I Know?
If your child has been bitten by an animal, especially if it was an unknown dog or wild animal:
- Wash the bite area well with soap and water and cover it with a clean bandage.
- Call your doctor right away and go to the nearest emergency department. Anyone with a possible rabies infection must be treated in a hospital.
- Call local animal-control authorities to help find the animal. It may need to be caught and watched for signs of rabies.
- If you know the owner of the animal that bit your child, get all the information you can, including its vaccination status and the owner’s name and address. Notify your local health department, especially if the animal wasn’t immunized.
