How did rabies come about?

Rabies is a sexually transmitted disease that is transmitted from person to person and also from person to animal. If we are not careful, we may be bitten or scratched by an animal, and then suddenly develop rabies a few months later. Rabies has an incubation period, so it is often difficult for people to recall the cause of the infection.

The Ministry of Health announced the national key infectious disease epidemic situation. To the surprise of many people, rabies topped the list of key infectious diseases in terms of death toll and mortality rate. This infectious disease, which is considered to be relatively "ancient", has once again attracted people's great attention.

Due to the "pet fever" in recent years, the incidence of rabies has increased in some areas. The main source of rabies is dogs, followed by cats. In addition, many wild animals can also spread rabies. Sometimes animals are not sick, but because they carry rabies virus, these seemingly "healthy" animals can also cause rabies if they bite people. There are even some cases where people are infected with rabies without being bitten by dogs. The following aspects require special attention:

1. Eating the meat of rabid animals may cause rabies. 2. Contact with dogs carrying the virus may cause rabies. 3. Handling animal fur or contact with animal blood and secretions may cause rabies. 4. Rabies can spread from person to person

In the past, it was believed that rabies could only be transmitted to humans through animals and not from person to person. But there are already some examples of human-to-human transmission. In 1982, there was a case in my country where a farmer performed mouth-to-mouth artificial respiration while rescuing a child who had fallen into the water and had been bitten by a rabid dog. The child died of rabies three months later. A mother in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province contracted rabies seven months later after taking care of her daughter who was suffering from rabies. A 26-year-old farmer in Anhui died one month after coming into contact with his brother who was suffering from rabies. Prevention is the key to reducing and eliminating rabies. Dogs and cats are the main sources of rabies. Limiting the number of dogs or requiring families to take the initiative to vaccinate their cats and dogs against rabies are the main measures to control rabies. Also, be sure to clean and treat the wound immediately after being bitten by a dog, cat or other animal. At present, it seems that vaccinating cats and dogs against rabies can protect humans from rabies. In addition, other routes of transmission cannot be ignored. Do not eat the meat of animals that died of rabies. Even the meat of some dogs and wild animals of unknown origin cannot be eaten casually. Do not be overly close to unimmunized animals and avoid contact with their blood and secretions. When caring for rabies patients, you should also pay attention to isolation. Because there is currently no effective treatment for rabies, prevention is the key to reducing and eliminating rabies.

<<: Can rabies bite people?

>>: Abdominal puncture point