FAQs
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The rabies virus is very sensitive to heat. Cooking dog meat will kill the virus If eaten, the rabies virus is also killed by the acids in the stomach However, the one preparing the dog meat for food may be exposed through breaks in the skin, splatters It may be possible to get rabies from eating raw dogs brain but this has not yet been reported
Yes, infected persons can transmit rabies through: o Organ transplantation o Bites o Contamination of open skin lesions or mucous membranes with body fluids (except blood and feces) through licks, splattering, mouth-tomouth resuscitation, sexual activity, exchanging kisses on the mouth This is a rare occurrence and has only been documented from organ transplants One cannot get rabies from sharing food or drink with an infected person
Yes, all dogs/cats can transmit rabies even if they are kept as pets In fact, as much as 88 % of human rabies patients were bitten by pets
All warm blooded animals can transmit rabies. This will include dogs, cats, other domestic animals (cows, pigs, horses, goats etc), wild animals (bats, skunks, wolves, foxes), rodents (rats, rabbits, guinea pigs etc)
No, the risk of getting rabies is the same for those bitten by puppies and adult dogs
No, not all dog bite patients will get rabies The risk of developing clinical rabies is around 15 - 20% and depends on:
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May delay proper treatment because bite victim has false sense of security that the bite has been adequately treated May cause secondary bacterial infection
No, rubbing the wound with garlic or salt or applying vinegar is not effective in removing the virus Rubbing garlic on the wound may cause abrasion of the skin around the bite wound, resulting in a bigger bite wound and possible secondary infection
Wounds that do not bleed spontaneously are categorized as Category II This includes wounds that are induced to bleed
Avoid chloroquine, systemic steroids and heavy alcohol consumption during rabies immunization These may interfere with antibody formation
Yes, rabies vaccine and RIG can be given safely during pregnancy The risk of teratogenicity is less than the risk of rabies Nerve tissue vaccine is not recommended during pregnancy
Yes, rabies vaccine and RIG can be given safely even if the patient has fever or other illnesses There is no contraindication to rabies vaccination
Yes, rabies vaccine and RIG can be given safely to newborns There is no contraindication to rabies vaccination
Theoretically, rodents can transmit rabies. However, there are no documented reports of human rabies from rodents The WHO and other rabies experts do not recommend anti-rabies vaccination for rat bites; antitetanus prophylaxis should, however be given
Although the Philippines does not have rabies in its wildlife, it is prudent to give rabies vaccination to monkey bites since these are usually category III
Unless the patient is suspected to have rabies, there is no need to give rabies vaccination to victims of human bites
The nerve tissue vaccine (Semple vaccine) was associated with neurologic side effects, but is no longer in use The currently available purified vaccines are considered safe and effective with no neurologic side effects
Although the antibodies from the vaccine persist for a long time, the immunity is not considered life long Since the disease is highly fatal, every exposure should be treated either with a full vaccination course or booster dose/s
The complete vaccination schedule consists of 3 preexposure doses or 4/5 postexposure doses One dose of rabies vaccine does not provide immunity
Reasons: o At least 80 % of dog population need to be vaccinated to cut the transmission of rabies among dogs o Animal vaccine failures may occur:
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Improper administration Poor vaccine quality Poor health status of the animal One vaccine dose not always provide long-lasting protection
Reasons:
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Whether a dog bite was provoked rather than unprovoked should not be considered a guarantee that the animal is not rabid as it can be difficult to understand what an attacking dog considers provocation for an attack Some dog owners may claim their dog is vaccinated even if they are not
No, sacrificing healthy animals is against animal rights Animals that are healthy at the time of the bite should be observed for 14 days Only those animals that are sick at the time of the bite or become sick during the observation period should be sacrificed and the head tested for rabies
Thank you