The human cost of rabies.

Vaccinate your dogs, cats and monkeys. When bitten seek medical attention.

Shorter rabies pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) schedule safe and effective.

Shorter rabies PrEP schedule safe and effective. In healthy participants, intradermal administration of a double dose of rabies pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, given during two clinic visits was safe and noninferior to a standard three-visit schedule, according to recent data. Given the efficacy of the shortened schedule, which may result in wider acceptance, Patrick Soentjens, MD, PhD, head of the travel clinic at Queen Astrid Military Hospital’s center for infectious diseases in Brussels, and colleagues said intradermal (ID) administration of a two-dose, two-visit PrEP regimen is now one of the first-line schedules recommended by the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization for international travelers and individuals at risk for rabies in endemic countries. “Rabies represents an unremitting and neglected global challenge. As such, new shortened ID schedules aim to be cost-, dose- and time-sparing, while maintaining safety and effectiveness,” the researchers wrote in Clinical Infectious Diseases. “Shortened PrEP ID schedules, using simpler low-dose vaccine regimens, can be considered an illustration that less can be more.”

Rabies: A case of dog bite .

Rabies a deadly but preventable disease is a menace that our society has to eliminate and put steps in place to eradicate the virus completely. Rabies usually affect warm blooded animals such as dogs,cats,monkeys,raccoons,skunks,bats ,horses and cattle. The virus usually transferred through bites from an infected animal, various species have been linked to the transmission of virus with variations from country to country. 

The sylvatic cycle of the virus in the wild is actually what is propagating the virus in urban areas.The issue of interaction between wild and domesticated animals usually with stray dogs and cats as the major carriers of the virus is an identified route of infection. Pet importation has also opened up another route of possible transmission of the virus, pets should be quarantined and all records verified before allowing them in the country. 

The issue of stray dogs and cats is a risk factor here in Nigeria, most rabies cases in man have been traced to bites from strays mostly affecting children below 15 years of age. A recent case of a young boy bitten by a stray dog typifies what happens in most situations; Boy bitten by dog, the parents did not notify any hospital or health center.

 The boy started exhibiting signs of rabies such as hydrophobia,biting and licking body like a dog,signs of madness and in this state also bit the mother while trying to restrain the child. The boy was taken to the hospital at this stage,but it was too late for any intervention. The mother though bitten did not think anything of the incident until the child died when some questions were poised to her, now she is undergoing treatment also her baby as she is nursing currently.

 A simple washing  of the bite wound with soap and a lot of water before seeking medical care, would have saved the boy's life. The fight against rabies is not a one-man- show all hands must be on deck to support the movement. 

There are key steps to take to achieve a rabies free status; 1) Education about rabies and steps to take when bitten especially at the rural level. 2) Enforcing the laws on stray dogs and other animals. 3)Mass vaccination campaign with free vaccination for pets. 4) Provision of the human diploid vaccines in hospitals,primary health centers and mobile clinics at affordable rates to encourage people to seek medical attention when bitten by dogs,cats and monkeys. Rabies is preventable ,see how to stay safe with animals. Play this game

Enhancing poultry value and performance with drug-free ration.

There are so many schools of thought on the use of drugs, growth promoters in animal feed, with every thought claiming a better advantage over the other. The use of in- feed medications has been an issue for a while, but more and more people are opting for animals raised without in-feed medication , thus resulting in many major feed millers switching to feed production without medication. The C.E.O of Fischer feeds in Ontario, Canada is one of such; he decided to stop using in-feed anticoccidials in his feed mill ,his strategy was to put more emphasis on nutrition ,particularly in the early stages of chick development and to keep coccidiosis in check, relying more on a live- oocyst vaccine. Dr. Rae Fischer, says he “hates putting chemicals and antibiotics in feed”, he told CocciForum magazine in 2005 (issue 11).He says “I want the emphasis to be on good nutrition programs with quality raw materials, ingredients and processing.” He added that poultry raised without antibiotics is what consumers want and the producers should embrace drug free production. Dr. Fischer was prompted to shift to non medicated feed production for the following reasons; a) Consumer demand: more and more people are clamoring for birds raised without antibiotics. b) Better implementation of science: Dr Fischer felt that medications in feed were not the best way to keep enteric diseases at bay. c) Market report: there has been a lot of feedback stating that this results in resistance after prolonged use. Dr Fischer further explained that the use of antibiotics may result in insult to livestock thus resulting in animals with diseases that are not visible to the eye but are subsequently passed on to consumers. Feeds without medication shifts focus to good management, nutrition and vaccination as a means of promoting good intestinal health.