RABIES
24.11.2025 15:40:49 18
Every year, 40,000 to 70,000 people die from rabies worldwide. The regions most affected are Asia, Africa, and Latin America. According to the WHO, rabies ranks fifth among infectious diseases in terms of economic damage.
It is an acute viral disease that affects both humans and animals.
Without timely treatment and preventive measures, the disease is 100% fatal for both humans and animals; there is no cure.
The main carriers of this disease are carnivores: foxes (corsacs), wolves, bears, and Arctic foxes. Domestic animals that can carry the disease include dogs, cats, horses, sheep, and cattle. Birds that can carry it include kites, crows, hawks, and owls.
A sick animal is a source of infection for humans, both during the disease itself and during the incubation period (latent period). The rabies virus is found in the saliva of a sick animal; infection occurs through contact between a person and a sick animal: bites, drooling, scratches, and other damage to the skin and mucous membranes increase the risk of infection; aerosol transmission of the virus is also possible. Household items and the surrounding area can also be contaminated. Once the virus enters the body (human or animal), it travels rapidly through the nerve endings to the brain, where it multiplies and destroys it.
A characteristic sign of animal disease is a change in behavior: wild animals are not afraid of people, enter populated areas, become affectionate, and allow themselves to be petted. Domestic animals become aggressive, attack, bite, and scratch their owners and other animals. Drooling and hydrophobia (animals may experience convulsions at the sight of water) are observed, and paralysis develops. Animal carcasses are burned; relatively healthy animals are monitored and vaccinated. Disinfection is carried out in all areas where livestock were kept.
To prevent rabies in domestic animals, they should not be allowed to interact with stray or wild animals.
Rabies is too terrifying a disease to be treated carelessly. Remember this and seek medical attention promptly!
State Institution "Mendykarinskaya RTI KVKiN MAS RK", Borovskoye village, Altynsarin Street 83, tel.: 2-40-94.