RESEARCHERS DEVELOP NEW RABIES TREATMENT.

Treating rabies can be a race against the clock. Those who suffer a bite from a rabid animal have a brief window of time to seek medical help before the virus takes root in the central nervous system, at which point the disease is almost invariably fatal. Now, researchers have successfully tested a treatment on mice that cures the disease even after the virus has spread to the brain. The best way to deal with rabies right now is simple: Don't get rabies said study co-author Biao He, a professor of infectious diseases in the UGA College of Veterinary Medicine. The vaccines that are available can prevent the disease, and the same vaccine is used as a kind of treatment after a bite, but it only works if the virus hasn't progressed too far. There is a new treatment now, a new vaccine has been developed that rescues mice much longer after infection than what was traditionally thought possible. In experiments, the animals were exposed to a strain of the rabies virus that generally reaches the brain of infected mice within three days. By day six, mice begin to exhibit the tell-tale physical symptoms that indicate the infection has become fatal. However, 50 percent of mice treated with the new vaccine were saved, even after the onset of physical symptoms on day six. There is an urgent need in many parts of the world for a better rabies treatment, and we think this technology may serve as an excellent platform . (source ;science daily)

Guidance relaxes requirements for pets with lapsed rabies vaccine.

Cats and dogs with out-of-date vaccinations when exposed to rabies can receive a booster and be subject to an observation period, rather than quarantine or euthanasia, according to the National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians in the 2016 edition of the Compendium of Animal Rabies Prevention and Control. The change follows a paper in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association that found that dogs whose vaccination status had lapsed demonstrated an adequate antibody response to support the change. Veterinarian Catherine Brown said the guidance does not mitigate the need to keep current on vaccination. Full Story: JAVMA News

RABIES IN HORSES.

Equine rabies is a feared and fatal disease, but there are ways horse owners can reduce the risk of their animals becoming infected.Rabies is fatal to all mammals. Rabies--caused by a lyssa virus that affects mammals' nervous system and salivary glands. It has six genotypes, all of which have different host ranges and pathogenicities. Rabies is everywhere,but more prevalent in underdeveloped countries than others.There are some countries reported free of the virus include Australia, Great Britain, New Zealand, Scandinavia, and Switzerland. ROUTES OF INFECTION IN HORSES. 1)Horses contract rabies from other infected animals. The horse will contract the rabies virus, when bitten by another rabid animal or have a wound contaminated with saliva or blood from an infected animal. 2) Wildlife exposure and interaction. The sylvatic cycle of the rabies virus is maintained by the wildlife community,thus when there is an interaction especially through fights,bites or consumption of infected carcass,the virus spreads. The animals that usually harbour the virus are skunks,foxes,bats,wild dogs and livestock. SIGNS OF RABIES.The signs at onset are nonspecific and include ;depression,inappetence, and Ataxia.The signs become more pronounced as the infection progresses and these are 1) hypersensitivity tu sound and touch. 2) pruritis 3) increased libido 4)twitching. Rabies is rapidly progressive and uniformly fatal with death from cardio-respiratory failure or misadventure within 10 days .People exposed to blood or saliva from a rabid horse has a risk of contracting and therefore dying of rabies,although the chances of infection from a horse to a human are small ;all prevention protocols should be observed. BIOSECURITY IN CASES OF RABIES.1) If any animal is suspected,there must be isolation of subject and restriction of handlers to the box. 2)The use of gloves,face mask and protective clothing. Vaccination is still the best means of protection.Vaccinate all horses.

RABIES THREAT IN HORSES.

Real-Life Examples of a Real-Life Threat Although rabies is a rare disease in domestic animals, due to its uniformly fatal nature, encounters remain as vivid memories. These are two real-life examples from my own experiences. Case 1: Human Exposure We had a "down horse" emergency case due to arrive at the John Thomas Vaughan Large Animal Teaching Hospital at Auburn University. Prior to arrival, the owners told us that the previous day, the horse was at a 4-H show being ridden by a young girl, and he seemed a little off: slightly colicky in the morning and then lame in the afternoon. The following morning the horse was ataxic (incoordinated) and their regular veterinarian recommended referral to Auburn. The owners set out on the four-hour drive to our hospital, but two hours prior to arrival the horse went down in the trailer. The owner called us to say that the horses' condition had deteriorated and he was now biting viciously at his extended foreleg; he also notified us that he did not think the horse was worth saving and that he was going to return home to humanely shoot the horse and bury it on the farm. Rabies is a risk with any horse that has progressively neurologic signs, and though rare, this case was concerning. We strongly recommended continuing to the university, but the owner was concerned about expensive care with a poor prognosis. My fears turned to the daughter. Even if the horse was ultimately euthanized, there was a risk the daughter could have been exposed if the animal tested positive for rabies. A drop of saliva while bridling the horse could easily inoculate a small cut on a finger. To my relief the owner agreed to continue to Auburn to have the horse euthanized and a post-mortem performed. On arrival the horse was still down on the trailer, tongue lolling and biting at anything that moved. We were able to heavily sedate the horse and carefully access a rear leg vein to humanely put him to sleep. All our veterinarians and technicians are vaccinated for rabies, but it was still quite frightening and risky, so we minimized the number of people involved. We performed a post-mortem exam immediately, which confirmed our biggest fear: The horse was positive for rabies. We notified the state health department, and they were able to ensure all individuals that had contact with the horse--people in the horse's barn and at the show, the referring veterinarian, and the owner and his daughter--received post-exposure hyperimmune plasma and a long series of vaccines against rabies. Case 2: Rabies vaccines: Important for horses, dogs, and even the barn cat A friend of mine has several horses and visits her farm daily with her daughter and grandson. One evening while pulling a few flakes of hay from the hayshed, the daughter felt something brush against her face and then over her arm. A flashlight revealed a small bat that was awkwardly fluttering over the hay bales. My friend chased off the barn cat who was very interested in this new, wildly moving "cat toy" and managed to kill the ailing bat with a single whack of a nearby shovel. The daughter then noticed a small scratch across her arm. They washed the wound carefully and wrapped the deceased bat in several plastic bags. Meanwhile the old one-eyed barn cat was outside happily enjoying his evening game with the grandson. My friend called me for advice. As a veterinarian I am not allowed to give medical advice, but I ensured that they had washed the scratch with water and disinfectant and suggested they pack some ice packs around the bat's packaged remains and head to the emergency room. Luckily they still had the dead bat available for rabies testing and it was delivered to the Alabama State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory first thing the next morning, where testing confirmed the bat was positive for rabies. The daughter was given rabies hyperimmune plasma and post-exposure vaccines. She told me that over the next two weeks, every time she received one of the vaccines the scratch on her arm would redden and hurt for several hours. She was convinced the bat had inoculated her with the rabies virus. The county rabies veterinary officer was notified of the positive rabies test, and we recommended that all the horses and the barn cat be revaccinated immediately and carefully observed for any possible signs of disease. Fortunately, the cat had not come in contact with the bat; an exposed cat with overdue vaccines, such as this one, would have to be euthanized or quarantined for many months. Initially my friend was reluctant to spend the money to vaccinate the old barn cat. He had lived happily on the farm for many years and, although she never really owned him, he certainly thought he owned the farm. I walked her through the facts: Rabies is endemic in America, and obviously there were rabid bats on the farm. The individual most likely to contact a sickly bat would be the old barn cat, and the cat was always around the valuable horses and was the 4-year-old grandson's playmate. The old barn cat certainly needed to be vaccinated, even as a means of protecting others potentially more valuable than he. Are all your horses, dogs and barn cats up-to-date on rabies vaccines? story source (The horse.com)

HOW TO USE APPS TO CUT RISK OF RABIES .

Researchers are using the app to track free-roaming dogs that have been vaccinated against rabies.
Rabies could be eradicated from street dogs in India with the help of a new smartphone app, a study has shown.

Monitoring them in this way has enabled vets to vaccinate 70 per cent of the dog population in the City of Ranchi -which is the threshold needed to minimize the risk that the disease is passed to people.  Adopting the approach more widely could help to eliminate rabies from people and animals

RABIES AND DOG IMPORTATION.

Dog breeders and pet lovers and owners have been warned continuously of dangers associated with dog importation.The breeders are supposed to ensure the dogs get the necessary vaccinations before they are sold and shipped off, but some mischievous breeders/puppy mill merchants dont vaccinate these pets thus exposing the pet lovers to a risk.The pets that are shipped branding certificates are often times discovered to be fake, thus strict documentation laws must be ensured and vaccination records verified to ensure safety. There has been cases of shipping off animals to other countries which were incubating various pathogens, a recent case is the rabid dog shipped to the US from Egypt (as reported by STAT http://www.statnews.com/2015/12/17/rabies-dog-cdc/) The rabid dog was transported into the country in May by an animal rescue organization. It was later discovered the dog’s rabies vaccination certificate was a fake, CDC officials said .It’s the fourth time — that officials know of — in the last 11 years that a rabid dog has been imported to the United States. Ten people who had substantial contact with the animal were advised to get post-exposure rabies treatment and eight more involved in its importation opted to get vaccinated as a precaution, CDC and state health department officials wrote in a report on the incident published in this week’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, a journal operated by the CDC.‘There’s no shortage of adoptable dogs in the US’ Dr. Nicky Cohen said the CDC issued guidelines last year to spell out what is needed, from a rabies control standpoint, to import companion animals to the United States. Chief among them: an authentic rabies vaccination certificate. It also pointed out some red flags to look for on rabies vaccination certificates to spot fakes — things like multiple dogs in a shipment having identical certificates or evidence that a dog’s name has been whited out. “It’s pretty basic,” Cohen admitted. “There have been four incidences where rabid dogs have been imported. But we do know that more dogs than just these four have been imported with falsified records. This was issued in response to the recognition of imported dogs with falsified vaccination records.”The dog from Egypt was part of a shipment of eight dogs and 27 cats. It was the only animal in the shipment that was infected.

STEPS TO ELIMINATE HUMAN RABIES!!!

Int'l groups launch new global framework to eliminate human rabies;The framework was a joint effort of the WHO, World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and Global Alliance for the Control of Rabies (GARC).The effort is to adopt a plan of action that is expected to deliver prompt post-exposure prevention (PEP) for people in rabies endemic areas, as well as a framework for scaling up sustained, large-scale dog vaccination. Rabies occurs in more than 150 countries and territories “Rabies is 100% preventable through vaccination and timely immunization after exposure, but access to post-bite treatment is expensive and is not affordable in many Asian and African countries,” said Dr. Margaret Chan, WHO Director-General. “Vaccinating 70% of dogs regularly in zones where rabies is present can reduce human cases to zero,” said OIE Director-General Dr. Bernard Vallat. Rabies is a human infection that is transmitted usually through the saliva of an infected animal (most of the time dogs), either through its bite, scratch, or licking of a human's open wounds.It is estimated that worldwide, one person dies from rabies every 10 minutes, based on data from the World Health Organization (WHO). Four out of 10 people bitten by suspected rabid dogs are children below 15. To stop deaths caused by the vaccine-preventable viral disease, the new framework calls for three key actions:Making human vaccines and antibodies affordable Ensuring people who get bitten receive prompt treatment and Mass dog vaccinations to tackle the disease at its source. Philippines among 10 worst rabies-affected countries In the Philippines, 200 to 300 Filipinos die of rabies infection every year, making it among the top 10 countries with the worst rabies problem.For its part, the Philippine government has a National Rabies Prevention and Control Program under the DOH, which aims to eliminate rabies by 2020. Story credit; CNN Philippines.

The Threat of Rabies in Horses

The Threat of Rabies in Horses

RABIES AND DOG MEAT.

Rabies is very deadly but can be prevented by vaccination,and in case of exposure to the rabies virus from infected animals post exposure prophylaxis is important.The story below outlines the risk of processing animals such as dogs,cats and bats for consumption.

 Eating dog meat is common in many Asian and African countries, but research conducted as part of the South East Asian Infectious Diseases Clinical Research Network has discovered a potentially lethal risk associated with preparing dog meat: rabies. 

In research published today in the open access journal PLoS Medicine, Dr Heiman Wertheim and colleagues from the National Institute of Infectious and Tropical Diseases and the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology in Hanoi, Viet Nam, report on two patients admitted to hospital showing signs of rabies infection. Neither patient was thought to have been bitten by a rabid animal in the preceding months. Rabies is a very serious – and in nearly all cases fatal – disease. 

It is estimated to kill over 30,000 people each year in Asia, and the number of cases in China and Viet Nam is increasing. Symptoms include agitation, severe spasms, fever, fear of water and inability to drink liquids, and eventually death. Humans are usually infected after being bitten by an infected animal such as a dog or bat.

 When the researchers investigated whether the patients had come into contact with infected animals in the preceding months, they found that both had been involved in preparing and eating animals which may have been infected. In the first patient’s case, he had prepared and eaten a dog that had been killed in a road traffic accident; rabid dogs were known to inhabit the neighborhood.

 The second patient had butchered and eaten a cat that had been sick for a number of days. In both cases seen by Dr Wertheim and colleagues, it is thought that infection occurred during the slaughtering, and not by eating the meat as the meal was shared by others who did not become infected.

 In Asia, it is believed that eating dog meat enhances health and longevity. It is eaten throughout the year in the second half of the lunar month, particularly in the winter months, when it is believed to increase body heat. 

 In Vietnam, dogs with rabies have been detected in dog slaughterhouses and workers at dog slaughterhouses are vaccinated against rabies as part of the national programme for rabies control and prevention. 

However, the private slaughter of dogs is relatively common in the country. Illegal dog and cat meat traders both in Asia and Africa are of particular concern to No To Dog Meat. this area we must focus on to prevent mass rabies outbreak equaling death.

 “We need to alert both the general public and clinicians about the risks around butchering and handling meat,” says Dr Wertheim. “People should not handle animals that may be infected with rabies. 

Rabies can be prevented with a vaccine and people exposed to rabies can be helped with post-exposure prophylaxis, but this needs to be administered as quickly as possible following the exposure. 

Once a person shows symptoms, the disease is almost invariably fatal. “Vietnamese doctors already consider dog slaughtering to be a risk factor for rabies transmission, but it is important that other health care workers and policy makers, both in- and outside Vietnam, are aware of this risk factor.”

 Human health is just as important to ourselves as is animal health. We are creating awareness because we believe that a mass outbreak of food poisoning, rabies or a unique form of (H?N?) mutation forming. Disease is rife as it is within Africa. 

A third world nation that now has the effects of climate change looming we cannot sit back any longer and allow mass disease outbreak and spread to occur.

RABIES AND THE MONKEY FACTOR.!!!

 

 Monkeys are playful creatures ,that many people keep as pets.The monkeys have found homes in several zoos, animal farms,circus and road shows,adding zest to the fun train. 

Monkeys have been domesticated over a period of years and have gradually made their way into man's life because of their fun gestures and intelligent disposition. Monkeys as sweet as they look and behave; they poise certain health risks to man. 

Monkeys have been linked to certain viruses and bacteria that are of importance to man among st them are ; rabies virus, herpes virus, Ebola virus ,monkeys are also know to be affected by other diseases in man such as tuberculosis, and amoebiasis. 

 Monkeys transfer pathogens to man through bites, salivary secretions,nasal secretions and fecal contamination. Monkeys generally have unsanitary habits,thus whatever pathogen they harbor in blood, feces and intestines they usually pass it to members of the family,thus monkeys are to be handled with care. Monkeys are know to have mood swings, playing at a time and the next moment scratching and biting ,this is the reason its not advisable to handle or give strange monkeys food. 

Monkeys that are gotten from the wild and domesticated pose the highest threat,hence precautions must be taken when importing /buying monkeys. 

 When bitten or scratched by a monkey the following steps must be followed; 1) wash the area with soap and water. 

2) wash under running water for 10-15 minutes. 

3) Apply disinfectant to site.

 4)seek medical attention immediately; rabies post exposure treatment and tetanus treatment are essential.

 Stay safe!!! avoid stray monkeys and dont pet or cuddle any monkey. 

when buying a monkey, verify source and ensure its vaccinated against rabies.

HOW RABIES KILLS

' Rabies claims the life of one person every 10 minutes,This is a sad story of how a bat snuffed out the life of Zach Jones. A bird had flown into his room and he got bitten without knowing it, He had the window screens down . He'd woken to find a bat fluttering around his face and a friend who was around just dropped a towel over the bat and threw it out of the window – luckily she didn't come into contact with it at the time or we may have lost her as well. At the time they had no idea that rabies could occur in bats and so we thought nothing more of it.Read what led to his death. Zach was very athletic and loved sport. He was a swimmer and played football regularly. He was very healthy and careful about what medications he put into his body. Looking back, he showed some minor symptoms early on – he had a slight cough and a runny nose – but I put that down to springtime allergies. On May 4 though, he displayed some rabies symptoms. He came home from school and said: "Mom, there's something very wrong with my mind, I can't explain it." He told us that he'd been coming home on the bus and that he'd felt very frightened by the loud noises it was making. He seemed very agitated but the really classic symptom he showed was what we now know as hydrophobia – he tried to drink but he couldn't swallow. He said if he drank the water, he wouldn't be able to breathe. He went to bed that night and at 2.30am he woke up and came to tell me again that there was something very wrong. I switched on the light in the kitchen and he cowered away from it. He said he'd been awake all night and he'd been hallucinating. We took him to the emergency room at around 4am. We had no idea what could be wrong. Zach was transferred to the children's hospital in Houston, where they did some tests. Because he was a teenager they decided he must have taken drugs, but we knew Zach was a good kid and we knew he was not the type to do that. He was then transferred to a mental facility, where they then told us that he was not a mental patient but a medical patient and he did not belong there, so it was back to the hospital. That is why, to this day, I always a led to his death.dvise people to get a second opinion. Unfortunately medical staff are not always right. Early the next morning, the same neighbour of mine who had thrown the bat out of Zach's room came to the hospital. She had suddenly remembered the bat and wondered if it had any significance. The doctor said there was very little chance it had any relevance, but I asked if they could do a rabies test and, two days later, it came back positive. A few days afterwards, on May 12, we lost our son Zach. We know there are many others whose lives have been saved because of Zach. In my husband Larry's family alone, eight members including cousins and nieces have been bitten by bats since Zach died, and because of his story they all knew to get vaccinated. It's so important to educate others about rabies because people, including health officials, don't know that it still exists where we live. Aside from this a lot of doctors tend to play down the threat and try to say the risk is low, and then because of that people do not get vaccinated. The sad thing is that it is completely preventable if people know the facts and get the right medical advice. Larry and I are trying to raise awareness about this in our community. We've set up the Zach Jones Memorial Fund and we have annual fundraisers. The community donates items to be sold for auction, and we also do a golf tournament. Last year we raised $85,000 and we want to use this money to educate people about the dangers of contracting this disease. At the moment we're funding the Texas State Health Department's poster competition about rabies which will help people, especially school children, to be more informed. We have also set up a scholarship in Zach's name to enable kids in the area to go to college. Doing this makes us feel better about what has happened. If we knew then what we know now, Zach would still be alive, but if we can save even one more life by doing this, it makes the pain of losing him a little easier to bear. Rabies is fatal but preventable, vaccinate your pets. stay away from wild animals//stray animals. Bat-proof your homes.

RABIES# STEPS TO FOLLOW WHEN BITTEN.

When bitten by an animal,that vaccination status is not reported follow these steps;As rabies is a fatal disease, it is often best to start the series of shots until further information is available. The animal should be isolated and observed for 10 days. Wild animals that can be captured can be killed and tested for the virus. If the animal can't be found, it is best to consult with the local health department. Post exposure prophylaxis (protective treatment) for rabies requires the following information: Bite: Did a bite occur, and where is the location of the bite? Non-bite incident: Did the saliva touch an open would or a mucous membrane? Bats: Any contact with a bat that leads to a potential scratch, bite, or mucous membrane exposure to saliva needs to be evaluated. If prolonged exposure to a bat is discovered (sleeping in a room where a bat is found), post exposure prophylaxis needs to be considered. When bitten, wash bite site with soap and water and visit the hospital to start post exposure treatment. The first is a rabies immune globulin that helps to prevent the virus from infecting the individual, Part of this immunization is given near the animal bite.This is followed by five injections over the next two weeks. These are rabies vaccines to help the body fight the virus given at day 0, 3 7,14 and 28.

RABIES !!!

RABIES ,a neglected zoonosis. What is Rabies?. This is a viral disease causing encephalitis in warm blooded animals.IT is zoonotic, meaning it is transmitted from animals to man. Rabies in man is a result of close contact with a rabid animal such as dogs,cats, bats, foxes, raccoons e.t.c. The rabies virus is in the saliva and urine of infected animals. 

The virus can be transmitted through bites of rabid animals, scratches, contamination of wounds with infected saliva, or mucosa contamination. 95% of human deaths occur in Africa and Asia, where 1/2 of those bitten are children under 10 years of age.

 The control of human rabies is linked to the eradication of rabies in animals. The prevalence of rabies is high in developing countries, poor underdeveloped countries because they dont seek medical care when bitten by rabid animals. 

The risk is also high in all these countries because of high population of stray dogs, increase contact of man with wild animals as man encroaches into the habitats of these reservoirs of the virus in the wild. In Nigeria, the reservoir hosts are dogs, cats , monkeys and to have a rabies free country , we advocate vaccination of our pets, and pre exposure vaccination for health workers @ risk such as vet, animal health professionals, animal handlers e.t.c. 

 What do you do when bitten by a rabid dog? 1) wash site of bite with soap and water, continuously for 10 to 15 mins, Wash under running water. 2) Pour antiseptic such as dettol or alcohol based solutions such as after shave lotion on site, to kill the virus @ site of bite. 3) Go to the clinic, and get the post exposure shots of the anti rabies vaccine. 4) Report the case to animal health agency nearest to you. 

A report is important to the vet hospital nearest to you, so that other steps as regards the dog can be taken, the dog must be quarantined for at least 10 days to ascertain if dog is truly rabid. The treatment protocol depends on certain factors such as, 1) has the victim been exposed to pre exposure vaccination.2) what is the status of the dog. Most people dont take pre exposure vaccination against rabies, so the bite site must be infiltrated with a RABIES IMMUNOGLOBULIN, before the anti rabies vaccination commences. 

 Treatment protocol. (NO prior vaccination) 1) wash site of bite, and in filtrate wound with the rabies immunoglobulin vaccine. 2) The anti rabies vaccine is administered on day 0, 3, 7, 14 and 28 days. 

 When a person has had pre exposure vaccination of the anti rabies vaccine, do the following. 1) wash site of bite but dont infiltrate wound site with the rabies immunoglobulin. 2) the antirabies vaccination is given on day 0 and 3 , just 2 shots of the vaccine.

 Day 0 signifies the day you start the vaccine administration, which should be the day of bite, as delay can be fatal. Rabies though deadly can be prevented, vaccinate your pets today. .

PREVENTING DOG BITES IN CHILDREN.

Children love dogs and dogs love children, but children should not be left alone with dogs. The cases of dog bites are common in children and old people, the cases of rabies in humans has a high frequency in children, which shows that children need to be protected. 

 

HOW TO BE SAFE AROUND DOGS. 

 Children must not pet any dog without authorization, children should learn to ask the owner of a dog before they pet the dog. When out walking in the park, outside your home zone, keep your face away from dogs. When a dog is loose and chasing you, just be like a tree or statue be still and do not move. If the dog pushes you over ,just roll up like a rock or curl up like a ball with your hands on head and neck. 

 Children should never bother a dog sleeping, eating or with puppies. Never leave babies with dogs, even if it’s the family pet, create an area for the dog in the house that is out of the reach of the children. Dogs can be good company but they can also be your worst nightmare especially those that are not trained. Watch a dog and note the mood of the dog, this will tell you whether to advance or stay away from the dog. The key is the way the mouth of the dog is positioned. If the dog is panting and looks happy then the dog is relaxed. If the mouth of the dog is closed, the dog looks worried and nervous, then don’t move closer or touch the dog.

 WHAT TO DO WHEN A BITE OCCURS.

 When there is an incident of a bite or scratch do the following; Wash site with plenty of water and soap. Use an antiseptic solution to wash site, you can also use alcohol based liquids such as after shave solution. Get as much information about the dog. Go to the hospital and get treated immediately. 

 DO NOT Use: bandage on bite site.. Do not use other medications that are locally sourced like pepper or potash e.t.c. 

 Rabies is 100% fatal. 

All cases of dog bites should be treated as an emergency ,treat the wound and get rabies post exposure prophylaxis and ensure the wound site is irrigated with the rabies immunoglobulin serum.