10/12/2012

Rabies Symptoms and Prevention

Rabies symptoms usually begin to occur within 30-50 days after infection, but the incubation period varies between less than a week until more than one year. Generally, the incubation period for a month. The incubation period is influenced by the depth of the bite and bite distance to the central nervous system (head).

In 20% of patients, rabies begins with paralysis of the lower limbs that spread throughout the body. However, the disease usually begins with a short period of mental depression, anxiety, malaise, and fever. Unrest will rise to uncontrollable excitement and people will salivate.

Spasms of the throat muscles and vocal cords can cause excruciating pain. Seizures is due to the disruption of brain regions regulate ingestion and respiration.

A light breeze and trying to drink water can cause these spasms. Therefore, the disease is sometimes also called hidrofobia (fear of water).

Rabies in humans is divided into 5 phases, namely:
  1. Prodromal, the nature of light in the form of general weakness, chills, fever, sore throat, fatigue, sometimes cough, digestive system disorders, or central nervous system disorders such as headache, vertigo, anxiety, apprehensive and nervous. 
  2. Acute neurologic, beginning with the non-functioning of the central nervous system. 
  3. Furious. 
  4. Paralytic. 
  5. Commas, ie rapid breathing, irregular and shivering to coma.

Treatment of rabies

A person who is bitten by a wild animal should immediately receive further treatment, because maybe the animals infected with rabies. If immediate proper precautions, a person bitten by an animal suffering from rabies will rarely suffer from rabies.

The most important measures of treatment is the treatment of bite wounds as soon as possible, which is cleaned with soap. If it is cleared, people who have never been immunized against rabies vaccine will be given an injection of rabies immunoglobulin and half the dose injected in a bite.

In patients who have not been immunized, rabies vaccine injections given during bitten by rabid animals and on days 3, 7, 14 and 28. Pain and swelling at the injection site usually mild. Rarely, serious allergic reactions, less than 1% who have a fever after a vaccination.

In patients who had received rabies vaccination, the risk of suffering from rabies will be reduced, but the bite should still be cleaned and given the vaccine at that time and the next 2 days. Before treatment of rabies found, death usually occurs within 3-10 days. Most patients died of airway obstruction (asphyxia), seizures, fatigue, or total paralysis.

Prevention of Rabies

Vaccinate those at risk for rabies virus such as veterinarians, laboratory workers who handle infected animals, the people who live in areas with a lot of dogs with rabies and bat cave explorers.

Vaccination provides protection to a person's lifetime. However, the antibody levels will drop causing people at high risk should get a rabies vaccination booster dose every 2 years.

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