Every year, September 28 is observed as the World Rabies Day to spread awareness among people about one of the world’s deadliest infections.
On this day, partners and stakeholders in the healthcare system around the world come-together not only to spread awareness about the disease but also on how to prevent it and the role vaccination plays in containing the affliction.
The day provides an opportunity to take stock of how communities are impacted by rabies around the world. A very important aspect of the prevention of the rabies infection is the understanding not to hate animals, but to get them vaccinated.
The unawareness about the disease has led people to punish dogs and other animals and ill-treat them in the past. Hence, one of the prime focuses behind observing the World Rabies Day is to prevent people from reacting in such an irrational manner.
Rabies is not only found among dogs and cats, but many wild animals can be carriers of this infection. However, due to the high number of dogs and cats being domesticated, the rate of infection is high among them. Among household pets, dogs have the highest percentage of being rabies carriers. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), among the total number of human deaths reported from rabies, about 21.99% are caused by domestic dog bites.
How important is educating people about rabies is important and spreading awareness about the disease?
Speaking to The Statesman, Bathinda based Dr. Ajinder Pal Singh Gill (DVM, USA), who is a Veterinary Officer with the Government of Punjab, gave some tips to deal with incidence of dog bite and how important it is to get household pets vaccinated.
He said, “It is very important to know about the threat of rabies. In a recent incident at Bathinda, a child was bitten by a small street pup. The child’s family ignored it, as it was a minor injury. Sadly, the child developed rabies after six months of the incident. This is the reason any such incident should be reported to the doctor immediately and a post-bite anti-infection shot is suggested.”
The veterinarian also stressed on the importance of vaccination of all pet dogs. But still if anyone suffers from a dog bite, he/she should wash the affected area with soap, he says, “It has been proven that regular application of soap is effective in containing the infection. It is not necessary to use an antiseptic soap, any regular hand wash soap or liquid will do the job. Another important thing to keep in mind is to keep the wound open and not to cover with bandages. Covering the wound increases the humidity level around the injury and can help fester it.”
Rabies is 100% preventable
The development of vaccines during the last few decades has made rabies a 100% preventable disease, yet still more than 60,000 people die from the disease, every year around the world. World Rabies Day reminds us of our efforts to control this deadly disease and that the fight against rabies is not yet over. Major health organisations around the world are working together to eliminate rabies deaths that are caused by dogs by 2030.