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Myths on Rabies

1. Only dogs carry the rabies virus

Dr Chua: While the natural reservoir of hosts for the rabies virus is in dogs, it is not true that only dogs carry the virus as the virus can infect any living mammals. In previous cases in the peninsula, only dogs have been recorded to be affected but this is not the case in Sarawak. Locally, we have come across cats that are positive for rabies and this is likely due to the virus being so widespread that it has spilled over from our dog population into our cat population. Right now, every one in four cats and every one in three dogs we send off for testing comes back positive for rabies. This implies a very extensive outbreak, so we cannot let our guard down against the potential chance of exposure to the virus.

2. I have had a rabies vaccine before, so I am safe the virus

Dr Chua: Many people have started to seek rabies vaccines before being bitten by an animal lately, so it is a huge concern that some have a misconception they are safe from any and all bites. While vaccinations are a great way to prevent a person from getting infected by viruses, it is important to understand the rabies vaccines you obtain pre-emptively before any injury, does not mean you do not have to do anything later on if you happen to get bitten. The vaccine does not offer full protection so regardless of whether you’ve had a vaccine beforehand or not, after receiving a bite, you will still need to follow the measures outlined by the World Health Organisation to wash your wounds for 15 minutes with soap and running water and then seek immediate medical attention to get a booster shot and possibly further treatment depending on your health status.

3. With swift medical attention, rabies is 100 per cent preventable

Dr Ooi: The standard treatment for a dog bite wound after thorough washing is to give the patient rounds of rabies vaccine to help them mount an immune response to the virus. However, the efficacy of this treatment is highly dependent on how severe the dog bite is and where it is located.

Bites to our head and neck region post a higher risk as compared to bites to our hands and legs because our head and neck region is highly innervated with a lot of nerves. There is a higher chance the virus may be directly inoculated to these nerves and reach the brain, causing the patient to develop symptoms of rabies faster. But even if the bite is localised to hands or feet, there is still a danger of developing rabies symptoms if the bite is deep with direct injury to the nerves, albeit at a slower rate. Some people are just not responsive to the vaccine and underlying medical issues like uncontrolled diabetes and other chronic diseases may supress the body’s immune function and prevent the rabies vaccine from helping to mount an adequate immune response to the virus.

Because of this, it is very important that diabetic patients take extra care in their exposure to potential bites from rabid animals. And if you suspect you might be diabetic, it would be good to have yourself checked quickly as diabetes is very rampant in our population with many Malaysians living unaware that they are afflicted with the disease. Even the RIG is not 100 per cent effective because it is injected to the muscle so it does not work on the virus that has been directly deposited in the nerves.

4. I am free from rabies after I have no developed symptoms

Dr Ooi: Most patients develop rabies symptoms between two and three months after a rabid dog bite, and if the patient remains healthy after a year, the likelihood of developing rabies is greatly lowered. However, this may not always be the case for everyone as the virus can potentially stay in your body for many years, just waiting to strike. The longest incubation period ever recorded was about 20 years. On this point, you can say ignorance is a blessing as some of our more educated and well-read patients end up developing mental health issues as they constantly worry that they might have rabies. While it might be a depressing, I think it is important to highlight this fact because after seeing dog bite patients for the last 14 months, we have come to realise people are taking this matter far too lightly. They assume they will be fine after receiving proper treatment but this is clearly not the case as there is still risk in developing rabies symptoms. Hence, we should be providing our community with proper and accurate information on the rabies virus to allow them to think about rabies more seriously and hopefully reduce their risks of exposure to the virus.

5. There have been fewer reports of rabid dogs found. The outbreak is dying out.

Dr Ooi: It is true we have seen fewer official reports of dogs, testing positive for rabies recently, but this is not due to the situation having improved. Rather this is because of the laboratory testing approach, adopted by the veterinarian department. You see, we only picked up on our epidemic quite late through human cases and as result, the infection was already very widespread when we declared a rabies outbreak. And adding to that, we are very used to letting our own dogs roam freely in our neighbourhoods. While dogs are territorial animals, their moving range is around 10km, which means they are able to mix easily with other free roaming dogs that might be infected, leading to the virus spreading quickly and deeply into our dog populations despite our best efforts at containing it. So, in theory, with the outbreak being so widespread, we do not sample dogs found within a 10km radius of where a rabid dog was previously found. We just have to assume they are actually infected with the virus already. We cannot afford to test every dog because of the overwhelming number of samples that are sent to the veterinarian department. To test every dog will require massive amounts of resources. Another challenge we face in this outbreak is that the laboratory testing these samples is in the Veterinary Research Institute (VRI) in Ipoh. So we face the issues of transportations as well.

6. Vaccinated dogs are absolutely safe.

Dr Chua: Just like in humans, the rabies vaccine will not be 100 per cent effective in all dogs as some dogs may not mount an immune response towards rabies. This is a known fact in any vaccination, be it for human or animal. There is always a chance they might still be infected despite being already vaccinated. The vaccine for dogs lasts only one year and takes four weeks after receiving to work. So vaccinated dogs still remain susceptible to rabies infection if they are exposed to the virus before they are able to mount an immune response. And for dogs already infected, receiving a rabies vaccine will not stop them from becoming rabid and may, instead, accelerate the development of rabies symptoms in the dogs. So, owners should be wary of this fact even after their dogs have received vaccinations.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/SarawakSPCA/photos/a.176524749431/1..



 

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SPCA Sarawak

The Sarawak Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals believes that animals, as living creatures, have value beyond economic measurement, and are entitled to legal, moral and ethical consideration and protection. The Sarawak SPCA's mission is to act as an advocate on behalf of animals and as an enforcer of their rights; to provide for the well-being of the animals of the State of Sarawak who are abandoned, injured, subjected to unfair or cruel treatment, or otherwise in need; to cultivate in the people of our community an awareness of the animals whose world we share; to promote a bond of mutual assistance between people and animals; and to instill respect for and appreciation of all living things.

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