Rabies

Front 1

What is rabies?

Back 1

Disease caused by a virus. It attacks the central nervous system of mammals.

Front 2

What animals do rabies infect?

Back 2

warm blooded animals only

Front 3

Is rabies always fatal if not treated in time?

Back 3

yes

Front 4

How is rabies spread?

Back 4

biting
contact with cut, sore, open wound, mucous membrane.

Front 5

Trace the movement of rabies throughout the body.

Back 5

Central nervous system to brain to saliva

Front 6

Does an animal have to be showing signs to be infective?

Back 6

No an animal can be infectious a few days before showing any signs.

Front 7

What are the symptoms of animal rabies?

Back 7

Depression
partial paralysis and aggressive behavior

Front 8

What are the two types of rabies

Back 8

Dumb and furious

Front 9

What are the symptoms of furious rabies?

Back 9

Dumb
- Some animals may become depressed and retreat to isolated places.
- Wild animals especially skunks may lose their fear of humans
-Normally nocturnal anmimals may be active during the day.
-There may be signs of paralysis.

Furious rabies-
-Diseased animals are in a state of extreme excitement and aggression.
-They may gnaw and bite their own limbs.
-They may attack objects or other animals.
-Bouts of furious rabies usually alternate with periods of depression.

Front 10

How long does it take an animal to become rabies once infected?

Back 10

2 weeks to many months

Front 11

Can animals that nave no rabies pass on the virus?

Back 11

Yes. Virus can be found in the saliva a few days before obvious clinical signs develop.

Front 12

Do all animals that get rabies die?

Back 12

yes

Front 13

What anmimals can get rabies?

Back 13

Any mammal no reptiles

Front 14

Once infected how long does it take a person to get rabies?

Back 14

2 weeks to many months

Front 15

Give 4 ways a person can get rabies?

Back 15

1 biting
2 contact with cut, sore
3 contact with mucous membrane (mouth, naval cavity, eyes)
4 careless handling of dead rabid animal

Front 16

What is quarantine period for animals suspected of rabies?

Back 16

10 days

Front 17

At what age do dogs and cats have to be vaccinated according to regulations?

Back 17

3 months

Front 18

What are the post exposure vaccinations and how are they administered?

Back 18

Five doses of 1 mL of HDCV should be given, the first dose (on day 0) as soon as possible after exposure, and additional doses on each of days 3, 7, 14 and 28 after the first dose. Vaccine should be administered intramuscularly into the deltoid muscle (never in the gluteal region) or the anterolateral upper thigh in infants. An appropriate dose of RIG, as described below, should also be given on day 0. Other immunization schedules have also been validated by the WHO.

Front 19

Is it ever too late to administer post-exposure prophylaxis?

Back 19

No

Post-exposure prophylaxis should be started as soon as possible after exposure and should be offered to exposed individuals regardless of the elapsed interval. If the suspect animal is domestic and is available for quarantine, then immunization may be withheld pending the animal's status after the 10-day observation period. However, if the bite wound is to the head and neck region, prophylaxis should begin immediately and not be delayed until after the 10-day period. When notification of an exposure is delayed, prophylaxis may be started as late as 6 or more months after exposure.

Front 20

What if the person had been vaccinated before being bit?

Back 20

Pre-exposure immunization

Three doses of HDCV are required and should be given on days 0, 7 and 21. The vaccine is given as a 1.0 mL dose intramuscularly into the deltoid muscle or the thigh in infants. Although intradermal vaccine has been shown to produce adequate titres, there is no preparation licensed for intradermal use in Canada.

Front 21

A pet owner asks if she should obtain rabies vaccination because she thinks she got
saliva on her hands while playing with her dog that had killed a rabid raccoon earlier that
day. What constitutes a rabies exposure?

Back 21

Rabies is transmitted when the virus is introduced into bite wounds, breaks in the skin, or onto mucous membranes. Three questions to ask are: 1) Was the person bitten?; 2) Did saliva or
central nervous system material from a rabid animal contaminate an open wound or mucous
membrane?; and 3) Was the animal in question a bat?

If all can be answered
no, then no exposure occurred and postexposure prophylaxis is not required. Petting a rabid
animal, and contact with blood, urine, or feces of a rabid animal does not constitute an exposure
and is not an indication for prophylaxis [9]. If the answer to at least one of these questions is
yes, then exposure to rabies is a possibility and the likelihood that the animal has rabies must be
considered.

Front 22

Camping scouts notice several bats fluttering in the trees above them. Their adult
leader wonders if they should get treatment. Can rabies be caused by aerosol transmission?

Back 22

Although nonbite routes of infection are possible, they are exceedingly rare and not
applicable to usual public exposures. Merely seeing a bat or being in the vicinity of bats does not constitute an exposure.

Front 23

A nurse calls asking if she should give postexposure prophylaxis intradermally to a
patient bitten by a rat. How is the secondary or postexposure prophylaxis administered?

Back 23

These animals are not reservoirs and there have been no documented cases of rabies transmission to humans by these animals

Front 24

An emergency room doctor sees a patient with an infected raccoon bite 6 weeks after
it occurred and questions if it is still useful to give rabies prophylaxis. How long after an
exposure would prophylaxis still be considered?

Back 24

prophylaxis (including RIG) should still be given, regardless of the length of time
between exposure and clinical presentation