If you planned to visit Polk County this weekend then think twice before packing, the governing authority has issued Rabies alert and now the alert extended followed by the lab test report suggesting that the captured animals in the alert zone testing positive for Rabies virus.
On 5th of February, 2019, A bat was found at the 8th Southland Mall in Hayward on past Thursday the captured bat was tested positive at the Alameda County Public Health Laboratory for the rabies virus.
For the record, the human rabies cases registered in the land of the United States and California are mainly due to the bat contact. So, special care and awareness should spread among the public from concern authority said by the County Interim Health Officer Dr. Erica Pan.
Well, this is not the first time for Alameda County to have bats with rabies virus last year two bats tested with a positive sign of rabies virus in the same county. The health authorities of Alameda issued a high alert by mentioning any person who contacts with the bat or pet animal should immediately approach Hayward Animal Control.
Followed by that incident, on Wednesday an infected raccoon was attacked by two dogs on the Lakehurst Street in Lakeland. The animals sent for test and report stated that the raccoon was infected with deadly rabies virus and both dogs were vaccinated and quarantine for the next 45 days in order to prevent the virus spreading. This incident marked as the third rabies case this year.
Let’s brush up with some vital information about the deadly Rabies virus
What is Rabies?
It is a type of viral disease responsible for the cause of inflammation in the brains of human and other infected animals/mammals. The virus Lyssaviruses is the main cause of Rabies.
The virus can easily transmitted by bite or scratches done by the infected animal to another also the saliva from the infected animal too spreads this deadly virus.
How Rabies Causes?
This virus type is from the species Lyssavirus Genus and it has a single standard RNA genome along with negative sense. Once this RNA enters into humans or animals muscles/nerves cells it starts replication by itself and spreads its single strand RNA into the cytoplasm.
Rabies can be passed from infected animals to another either by biting or with the infected saliva manages to pass into the body. In most cases, mammals are highly transmitted this deadly virus.
Here are the lists of animals that can transmit rabies virus to human beings
- Cats
- Cows
- Dogs
- Ferrets
- Goats
- Horses
- Bats
- Beavers
- Coyotes
- Foxes
- Monkeys
- Raccoons
- Skunks
- Woodchucks
Symptoms of Rabies
The early symptoms will appear similar to the ordinary flu and it will long last for the initial few days. As per the record, the initial symptoms of rabies mostly nonspecific and mostly it will be a headache and fever. Later it develops severely.
- Fever
- Headache
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Agitation
- Anxiety
- Confusion
- Hyperactivity
- Difficulty swallowing
- Excessive salivation
- Fear of water (hydrophobia) because of the difficulty in swallowing
- Hallucinations
- Insomnia
- Partial paralysis
Once the rabies virus infected, it starts to spread in 5 distinct stages
- Incubation: It is the stage where one would not experience any sign & symptoms of being infected with Rabies virus. Usually, this stage will long last for 3 to 12 weeks or even for just 5 days.
- Prodrome: It is the early stage where an infected person will experience slight symptoms like early flu-like. Usually, it will long last for 2 to 10 days.
- Acute neurologic period: In this state, the virus starts to spread in the infected person’s nervous system. Symptoms like confusion, aggression, partial paralysis, fear of water, hyperventilation, hydrophobia, difficulty in swallowing and so.
- Coma and Death: It is the final stage, when a person enters into a coma death might happen in next few hours. However, it can be extended if the infected person is given ventilator support.
Treatment for Rabies
Well, there is no proper treatment for well-spread rabies virus in the human body. However, if a person manages to diagnose by the doctor before symptoms start to expose, a series of vaccination will be injected into the infected person body. Those vaccination shots can help to prevent the virus from spreading further inside the body.
How to Prevent from Rabies Virus?
Prevention is always better than cure, in case rabies virus attack prevention in the only option, since it is an extremely fatal disease.
Here are the lists of suggestion which can really help on reducing the risk of getting rabies virus.
- Regular vaccinating pets
- Avoid Pets from getting direct contact from predators
- Always prefers authority advice before importing animals from various countries
- Keep Bats away from the living place
- Do consult a doctor about rabies vaccination before abroad traveling
Facts about Deadly Rabies Virus
Unlike other types of virus attack, rabies virus remained as most dreaded disease ever since, it was found in the 16th century 1885. Italian doctor Girolamo Fracastoro discovered the deadly rabies virus. In 1885, the French biologist Louis Pasteur created the vaccine for the fatal virus.
- Rabies virus will become fatal once symptoms start appearing
- More than 60K people worldwide die because of the rabies virus
- Washing wounds properly and vaccination helps on preventing rabies virus attack
- Rabies virus spreads mostly from infected saliva
- Rabies virus mostly spreads because of the bites from infected dog
- Every year around 15 million people utilize post-exposure shots after bitten by infected animals
Bottom Line:
The death caused by the fatal rabies virus is extremely high in Africa and Asian continents. Various awareness programs and precautious steps are taken by the respective governments to keep control of the spread of the rabies virus. However, frequent checkup and proper vaccination are highly recommended to be safe and secure from the fatal virus attack.
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