Nearly Eradicated in Humans, the Guinea Worm Finds New Victims: Dogs.

 

For 30 years, scientists have fought to eliminate a horrifying parasite. Suddenly, it has begun infecting dogs in Chad, threatening to undo decades of progress. Martoussia, the celebrity of the moment in this remote fishing village, pants heavily under the awning where he lies chained. Still, he remains calm and sweet-tempered as the crowd presses in. 

 Children gawk as volunteers in white surgical gloves ease a foot-long Guinea worm from the dog’s leg and American scientists quiz his owner, a fisherman, about how many worms Martoussia has had. The village chief, Moussa Kaye, 87, is asked the last time one of his people had a worm. 

A Guinea worm, which must be pulled an inch or so a day, being extracted from Djalibe, a village dog. Photo credit. Jane Hahn of The New York Times.

“Not since 40 years ago,” he says. In this arid central African country, the long global struggle to eliminate a horrifying human parasite has encountered a serious setback: dogs. They are being infected with Guinea worms, and no one knows how. Scientists are desperate to solve the puzzle. If the answer isn’t found soon, or if the worms begin to spread widely into other species — a handful already have been found in cats and even baboons — then 32 years of work to end the scourge may crumble, said Mark L. Eberhard, a parasitologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

 Once a pathogen runs wild in an animal population, there is little chance it can be wiped out. “An animal reservoir is the kiss of death for eradication,” Dr. Eberhard said. It has happened before. In the 1930s, the drive to eradicate yellow fever died when scientists realized monkeys carried the virus. 

 This setback has come just as the decades-long campaign edges tantalizingly close to victory. In 1986, when the Carter Center — the global health philanthropy in Atlanta founded by President Jimmy Carter — launched the eradication drive, an estimated 3.5 million people in 21 countries had worms.

RABIES : WHAT CAN TRAVELERS DO TO PREVENT RABIES.

 

RABIES : WHAT CAN TRAVELERS DO TO PREVENT RABIES. 

 For some travelers, it may make sense to get the rabies vaccine before your trip.The rabies vaccine is three doses. The second dose is given seven days after the first dose. The third shot is given 21 to 28 days after the first dose. 

Even if you are vaccinated against rabies, if you are bitten or scratched by an animal while traveling, you need to seek medical care immediately and get two booster doses of the vaccine. 

 Travelers can protect themselves from rabies by taking the following steps:

 1)Don’t touch dogs, puppies, or other animals. This goes for strays as well as pets. Not all countries

 require pets to be vaccinated against rabies. Even animals that appear healthy can spread rabies.

 2)Supervise children closely, especially around dogs and puppies, cats and kittens, and wildlife.

 3)If you travel with your pet, watch it closely. Do not allow it around other local pets or wild animals.

 4)Avoid bringing new animals home. Dogs and cats may be infected with rabies but not show signs

 until several days or months later. If you do decide to bring an animal with you be aware animal importation regulations. 

 5)If you are traveling to work with animals, bring and wear appropriate protective gear.

 Act quickly if you are bitten or scratched by a dog or other animal :

1)Immediately wash all bites and scratches well. Use plenty of soap and running water. 

 2)Seek medical care immediately, even if you don’t feel sick or the wound does not look serious.

 3)To prevent rabies, start treatment immediately. 

 4)Treatment for rabies includes getting a vaccine after you have been bitten. 

Even if you were vaccinated before your trip, you still need to seek care if you get bitten or scratched by an animal.

I was bitten by a feral dog while overseas. My search for rabies shots was a terrifying ordeal.

 

I was bitten by a feral dog while overseas. My search for rabies shots was a terrifying ordeal. Sharing this story, though quite lengthy but very informative. 

The take aways from the story: 1) Do not make assumptions about bites. 2) wash bite site with soap and water ,clean area with antiseptic solution then seek medical attention immediately. 

 I’d seen the gaunt canine milling around, but feral dogs seemed to congregate on every corner in India, so one more roaming the grounds of Amritsar’s Partition Museum didn’t garner any special attention. By the time I realized the dog was about to bite me, it was too late. 

 At least not until it sunk its incisors into my knee, leaving two bloody puncture marks. It could have been worse, but in a country where rabies kills thousands of people each year, it could have been so much better. 

 According to the World Health Organization, 36 percent of all rabies deaths occur in India. And while any mammal can transmit the rabies virus, 99 percent of all human cases result from contact with an infected dog. And travelers are not immune. 

In 2018, a British man died after contracting rabies after being bitten by an asymptomatic cat in Morocco. This year, a 24-year-old Norwegian woman died after attempting to rescue a puppy in the Philippines that bit her. In 2017, a Virginia woman succumbed to rabies after a dog bite in India. She rescued a puppy during her vacation. 

The dog’s bite proved deadly. Instinctively, after being bitten, I slathered my knee in hand sanitizer as locals in the northwestern India city directed my partner and me to a small lean-to with a faded red cross painted on it.

RABIES: a neglected disease that perpetuates poverty.

 RABIES: a neglected disease that perpetuates poverty.

Rabies is recognized as one of 20 Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) by the World Health Organization.

Although rabies is found on every continent, except Antarctica and some islands, it is well controlled or even eliminated in most developed countries. Today over 95% of human victims are from Africa and Asia, most from marginalized and impoverished rural communities. 

 Rabies is a preventable disease that overwhelmingly afflicts the poor, both in terms of its death toll and the associated financial burden. Annual economic losses because of the disease are around 8.6 billion US dollars, mostly due to premature deaths, but also because of spending on human vaccines, lost income for victims of animal bites, and other costs. 

 With a survival rate of less than 0.1%, those exposed to the virus face a stark choice: go in search of a series of vaccines and immunoglobulin that prevent the onset of the disease (post-exposure prophylaxis, PEP) or die. In some cases, PEP costs more than the monthly household income, and families are known to either go into debt to pay for PEP, or sell livestock on which they depend for income; both are options that negatively affect families’ future prospects. Rabies can destroy families literally (through death), emotionally, and financially – making it a truly horrific disease.

   Rabies survivor !!!

Rabies: kicking rabies out of our communities.

 Rabies though fatal is 100% preventable. There is a massive campaign to eliminate rabies by 2030, join now . Learn all you need to know about rabies and how to prevent it.

 Get free resources to share here.

Rabies : the comic book.

 This is a colorful comic book for kids to teach about rabies.

Rabies prevention tips.

1) vaccinate your dogs,cats and monkeys.

2) Do not approach an unknown dog, cat or monkey.

3) Prevent bites and scratches from dog, cats and monkeys.

4) When bitten by a dog,cat or monkey: wash site with soap under running water for 15 mins, clean area of bite with antiseptic solution or alcohol and seek medical attention.

 Get book here and share

#rabies #Lagos #endrabiesnow #book #games.

Gamifying rabies.

 

Did you know that rabies kills one person every 9 minutes?

Did you know that 59,000 people die of rabies worldwide every year?

Did you know that almost half of the victims are children under 15 years of age? 

Did you know that vaccinating 70% of dog population in an area breaks the dog-human cycle of rabies,thus eliminating rabies in such areas?

Did you know that vaccination of your dogs,cats and monkeys is a sure way to eliminate rabies?

Did you know that the fastest way to change a paradigm or introduce a concept that targets kids is by gamifying the concept or creating songs that are interactive?

Did you also know that creating awareness on public health issues can also be accomplished by creating stories, posters, coloring books for kids e.t.c?

Did you also know that when a kid learns something or comes across a story, the story spreads fast?

 Did you know that when you tell one kid a truth all the other kids in the community hears this truth? 

Did you also know that creating public awareness about diseases of public health importance is a collective responsibility?

Did you know that change is a collective effort? so play your part:by vaccinating your pets. Sharing the rabies game board in your network. Ensuring your neighbors are responsible pet owners that vaccinate their pets. 

Lets start now: kick rabies out of #Lagos. #Nigeria  #endrabiesnow