HealthyCanada.com

Rabies is a preventable viral disease of mammals most often transmitted through the bite of a rabid animal. The vast majority of rabies cases reported each year in Ontario occur in wild animals like raccoons skunks bats and foxes. Domestic animals account for less than 10% of the reported rabies cases with cats cattle and dogs most often reported rabid. There have been only two reported human cases in Canada since 1985. Both cases were associated with exposure to bats. Rabies is however a significant public health problem in many Asian and African countries. The World Health Organization estimates there are 55000 human deaths from rabies each year in Asia and Africa with 30-50% of cases occurring in children under 15 years of age.

Rabies is caused by a virus that is in the saliva of infected animals and which is usually transmitted by bites.

Early symptoms of rabies in humans are nonspecific consisting of fever headache and general malaise. As the disease progresses neurological symptoms appear and may include:

• insomnia
• anxiety
• confusion
• slight or partial paralysis
• excitation
• hallucinations
• agitation
• hyper-salivation
• difficulty swallowing
• hydrophobia (fear of water)

Death usually occurs within days of the onset of symptoms.

One of the most effective methods to decrease the chances for infection involves thorough washing of the wound with soap and water. Specific medical attention for someone exposed to rabies is called post-exposure prophylaxis or PEP. This consists of a regimen of one dose of immune globulin and five doses of rabies vaccine over a 28-day period. Rabies immune globulin and the first dose of rabies vaccine should be given by your health care provider as soon as possible after exposure. Additional doses or rabies vaccine should be given on days 3 7 14 and 28 after the first vaccination. Current vaccines are relatively painless and are given in your arm like a flu or tetanus shot.

There are several things you can do to protect your pet from rabies. First visit your veterinarian with your pet on a regular basis and keep rabies vaccinations up-to-date for all cats ferrets and dogs. Second maintain control of your pets by keeping cats and ferrets indoors and keeping dogs under direct supervision. Third spay or neuter your pets to help reduce the number of unwanted pets that may not be properly cared for or vaccinated regularly. Lastly call animal control to remove all stray animals from your neighborhood since these animals may be unvaccinated or ill.

You should seek treatment for any animal bite even though very few bites by common household pets carry a risk of rabies. In Ontario in 2004 only one case involving a cat and one other case involving a dog were reported. If the pet appeared healthy at the time you were bitten it can be confined by its owner for 10 days and observed. No anti-rabies prophylaxis is needed.

If you work with animals you can receive a pre-exposure vaccine.