When you think of rabies, you probably also think of foaming and aggressive animals. But the disease is much more dangerous than you think, especially for people. Due to a national shortage of vaccines for this virus, it is therefore necessary to be (extra) careful. But what exactly is rabies and how dangerous is it for humans?
Due to supply problems at manufacturers, there is a nationwide shortage of the rabies vaccine, reports the AD. As a result, you can no longer get a preventive vaccination if you go to a country where many rabid animals occur. People who go abroad and may come into contact with rabid animals would normally be eligible for a preventive vaccination, but now that the vaccination is probably no longer possible until January next year, you have to pay extra attention. Everything you need to know about rabies:
1. What is rabies?
Rabies, also known as rabies, is a deadly infectious disease caused by a virus. Rabies can be transmitted to humans through the bite, scratch, or lick of an infected animal. The rabies virus is mainly found in dogs, bats, foxes and cats.
2. How common is rabies?
Worldwide, about 50,000 people die from the disease each year. In the Netherlands, infections with this disease almost never occur. These are usually patients who have contracted the virus abroad. Rabies is therefore mainly found in Eastern Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America. You can therefore also contract rabies in popular holiday countries, such as Morocco, Turkey, Egypt, Thailand and South Africa.
According to the RIVM, five people in the Netherlands have died from rabies in the past forty years. All these patients became infected abroad. In Western Europe, a less contagious variant of the rabies virus is often found in bats. This rarely leads to infection in humans.
3. What Are the Symptoms of Rabies?
The disease usually starts with complaints such as chills, fever, vomiting and headache. This is followed by other complaints, such as cramps in the muscles that get worse, convulsions, paralysis and problems with swallowing and breathing. Sometimes someone with rabies also becomes afraid of water. Good to know: the time between becoming infected and becoming ill is usually between 20 and 90 days.
4. Can rabies be treated?
Yes, you can treat an injury and prevent the virus from entering the nervous system. This preventive treatment can only be given before there are symptoms of the disease. Without treatment, complications such as swallowing and breathing problems are usually always fatal, reports the RIVM.
5. What should you do if you come into contact with a rabid animal?
“If you have been at risk from a bite, scratch or lick, it is important to clean the wound thoroughly with soap and water for at least 15 minutes, and to disinfect it with Betadine or alcohol (70 percent)”, says Wendelien Bergmans on behalf of the GGD Amsterdam against it AD. It is also important to seek medical help as soon as possible. ”Preferably within 24 hours, even if someone has been vaccinated against rabies. Emergency treatment is then started as soon as possible to prevent someone from becoming infected.
Tip: Are you traveling unvaccinated? Then do not touch (live, sick or dead) animals and do not feed them. This way you also avoid the risk of a bite, scratch or lick.
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2023-08-23 22:00:29
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