In Rio Negro days ago they found a bat with rabies and the protocols were activated to avoid risks of contagion with dogs and cats. Which can end up seriously affecting public health.
“It is important to vaccinate your dog and cat against rabies because this disease is very serious and can be fatal. Rabies is a viral disease that is transmitted through saliva and spread primarily through bites from infected animals. Symptoms include fever, weakness and changes in behavior, and can lead to death within a few days,” it was warned.
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It is important to vaccinate dogs and cats against rabies.
voracious insectivores
“In this region and throughout the country there are bats and it is common. The species we have in the area are insectivores, very good for the environment. And what happens is that there are more attentive people who find bats during the day, or lying on the floor, dead or alive with habits that are not normal, so they bring them and we refer the samples to the Luis Pasteur Institute in Buenos Aires to detect if They have the rabies virus,” explained Claudia Grismado, representative of URESA General Roca, a unit that covers the entire Alto Valle and also the department of El Cuy. “It is one disease among the more than 200 that they can have,” she added.
“The virus circulates and that is why we recommend having pets vaccinated as a preventive measure.” “The virus circulates and that is why we recommend having pets vaccinated as a preventive measure.”
The common bats in this area feed only on insects and, as a peculiarity, the specialist indicated that “during the night they can eat their own weight in insects.” It is estimated that they can ingest up to 1,200 mosquitoes per hour.
Bats belong to a special group of flying mammals called bats. The word comes from Greek and means “winged hand.”
What is it?
Rabies is a zoonosis of viral origin that affects the central nervous system (CNS) of all mammal species, including humans. In the vast majority of cases it has a fatal outcome. It is distributed throughout the world and is responsible for the death of more than 60,000 people per year. In our country, dogs and cats are the main transmitters of rabies, but some wild animals such as bats can also be.
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Bats can ingest up to 1,200 mosquitoes in an hour.
Transmission
It can spread to people and pets if they are bitten or scratched by a rabid animal. To prevent rabies in animals, Dogs and cats should be vaccinated against rabies every year from 3 months of age and throughout their lives.
The National Ministry of Health highlighted that “if you suffer a bite from an animal, you should wash the wound with plenty of soap and water. Do not use alcohol or other disinfectant. Go quickly to the nearest health center to be evaluated by a health professional, who will evaluate the need for antibiotic, anti-tetanus and anti-rabies prophylaxis according to the characteristics of the accident.
The representative of the Regional Epidemiology and Environmental Health Unit of the Atlantic Zone, veterinarian Mercedes Mora, explained, after finding a bat with rabies in Viedma, that “when a bat is found during the day, since they are nocturnal, it is a suspicious situation.”
How to recognize rabies in animals
In the case of bats, bite accidents can occur in the case of handling the animal, since they only feed on insects in our area. To identify if these animals have rabies It can be seen that the animal cannot fly, they appear during the day and if they are on the floor or smooth surfaces. The recommendation is not to touch it, it should be isolated with a container (bucket, box, etc.) avoiding contact with people, dogs and cats.
In the case of dogs and/or cats, Rabies can be detected when they present behavioral changes, aggression, excessive salivation, inability to swallow or drink, dilated pupils, seizures, paralysis and death.
If you find an animal in these conditions, with symptoms compatible with rabies, you should call the Environmental Health Unit or Municipal Zoonosis.
2024-03-03 22:31:43
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