What is Rabies

  Rabies is an acute zoonotic infection caused by the rabies virus, which mainly attacks the nervous system. Human rabies is usually transmitted to humans by the bite of a sick animal. It is characterized by a nearly 100% clinical mortality rate due to fear of wind, water, sound, fear of anxiety, pharyngeal muscle spasms, and progressive paralysis. Not all people are infected with the disease, about 15-30% of those who are bitten by a sick dog (rabies) onset of disease, whether the bite onset is related to the following factors: 1, the site of the bite, head, face, neck and upper extremities more chances of morbidity 2, the severity of the bite, deep wounds hit multiple injuries high morbidity.  3.Low morbidity with good local treatment.  4, thick clothing less chance of infection.  5.Low morbidity for those who receive full and timely vaccination 6.High morbidity for those with low immunity or defects. Rabies virus is very weak to unfavorable environment, in surfactants, disinfectants such as formaldehyde, mercury, iodine and acid-base environment will quickly lose activity, and is extremely sensitive to heat and ultraviolet light. The incubation period of the disease ranges from 5 days to 19 years or more, usually 30 to 90 days. There are two clinical types, the excitable (typical) type being the most common and the paralytic type occasionally seen.  The excitatory type is also divided into prodromal phase, excitatory phase and paralytic phase. 1. The prodromal phase lasts for 2 to 4 days and is mainly characterized by local sensory abnormalities, numbness, itching or pain in the vicinity of the healed wound and its nerve pathways, intermittent radiating tingling in its distal end, and ants in the extremities, while systemic symptoms often appear, such as hypothermia, headache, fatigue, irritability, fear and anxiety, followed by sensitivity to sound, light, wind and other stimuli and a The most typical symptom is fear of water: drinking water, smelling the sound of running water or even talking about drinking water can induce severe pharyngeal muscle spasm, so it is often too thirsty to drink and cannot swallow after drinking. Breeze, sound, touch, etc. can also cause pharyngeal muscle spasms. Severe spasms can be accompanied by whistling muscle spasms and inspiratory difficulties, and even generalized convulsions. The vegetative nervous system is also hyperactive, manifested by profuse sweating, increased heart rate, elevated blood pressure, and increased saliva production. There is often dehydration because of the inability to drink and excessive sweating. Body temperature often rises to 38-40℃. Most of the mental clarity, occasionally mental disorder, delirium, hallucinations, etc., but the bite is rare this period lasts 1-3 days.  3. The paralysis period lasts 6 to 18 hours. Patients tend to be quiet, the spastic seizures stop, and various kinds of paralysis appear, among which limb paralysis is more common. There can also be paralysis of the eye muscles, facial muscles and masticatory muscles, manifested as eye movement disorders, jaw drooping, salivation, and also loss of voice, hypoesthesia, loss of reflexes, dilated pupils, weak or irregular whistling, coma, and often rapid death due to respiratory and circulatory failure. The entire course of the disease usually does not exceed 6 days, and it is rare to see more than 10 days. The prodromal phase of the paralytic type also shows fever, headache, general discomfort and abnormal sensation at the site of the bite, followed by various kinds of paralysis, such as limb paraplegia, episodic crestal palsy, etc., and finally often die of whistling muscle paralysis, the duration of this type of disease can be longer, about 7-10 days. Immediately after the bite, the wound should be thoroughly rinsed with soapy water or water for at least 15 minutes and then immediately disinfected by rubbing the wound with 2% to 3% iodine or 75% alcohol, without suturing and dressing the wound as much as possible after thoroughly rinsing it in order to drain the blood and drainage. Immunoglobulin or antiserum should be injected by infiltration around the wound as soon as the doctor deems necessary followed by vaccination. This not only neutralizes the virus before it invades the nerve endings, but also activates a local T-cell-mediated immune response that is essential for rabies prevention!  For any bites that are not vaccinated in a timely manner more than 24 hours after the bite, it is necessary to go to the hospital to take remedial measures and get a retroactive vaccination depending on the situation. Any treatment deemed necessary by the doctor is essential and must be done as soon as possible to ensure that the body is protected and cleared of any virus that may be present in the body before it causes disease to the greatest extent possible, thus ultimately preventing rabies from occurring! Finally, to confirm the effectiveness of the vaccination, the serum rabies antibody level can be checked about half a month after the full vaccination, and if it is negative, the immunization should be boosted. There are a few people who never have a positive antibody turn or whose titer does not reach the standard of anti-infection after the full vaccination. The main possible reason is that the body itself has a weak or defective humoral immune response. In this case, it is better to measure the cellular immune index, as a strong cellular immune response can also resist the virus attack. Generally speaking, the chances of rabies occurring are greatly reduced by a positive antibody turn after vaccination, as well as by a full course of qualified rabies vaccination. But not vaccinated will certainly not develop, some incubation period is very short when the vaccine has not yet come into play, the patient has already developed, so in the case of a serious bite or the reason to play immunoglobulin first, because immunoglobulin will give you effective protection in the first place.