Rabies

What is it ?

Rabies is a viral disease of the nervous system, transmitted by the saliva of an infected animal and causing a fatal form of acute encephalitis. If nothing is done before the first symptoms of rabies appear, the disease is fatal 100% of the time. The virus is carried by certain mammals.

Disease transmission

Rabies is most often transmitted through contact with the saliva of an infected animal. It is contracted when the virus succeeds in gaining a foothold in the human body. An open wound licked by an animal that is carrying rabies, or a bite by such an animal, becomes the virus’s easiest port of entry.

If there is the slightest chance that a person has come in contact with an animal that may be carrying rabies (in Canada, bats – in other countries, dogs and cats), preventive treatment must be sought immediately.

Geographic risk zone

Rabies occurs everywhere in the world, especially in the Middle East, India, Southeast Asia, Africa, Central America and South America.

Rabies, countries or areas at risk

Data source: World Health Organization

Symptoms description

Rabies attacks the brain’s functions and a great many of the symptoms associated with it are neurological. These symptoms develop gradually.

Itching
Formication (a creeping or crawling sensation) around a wound
Mood changes, anxiety, confusion, distress or behavioural anomalies
Flu-like symptoms (fever, fatigue, headache)
Hallucinations
Insomnia
Delirium

In advanced stages

Excessive production of saliva (“foaming at the mouth”) and tears
Difficulty swallowing
Difficulty breathing
Hydrophobia (irrational fear of water and a burning sensation on contact with liquids)
Paralysis of the upper limbs (observed in about one-third of all cases)
Death

Health impact

Rabies is an extremely serious disease. If not treated in time, it invariably results in death.

Risks

The WHO reports that more cases of death are associated with rabies than with any other common infection worldwide.
Every year, 40,000 to 70,000 people die of rabies.
According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, children are 4 times more likely than adults to contract rabies. The risk is even higher in boys.
Once the first symptoms of the disease are felt, death generally occurs in the next 2 to 10 days.

Prevention

There is no better form of prevention than to get vaccinated before you go abroad. Time and planning are not a great problem, as only 3 doses of the vaccine are needed...and it’s certainly worth the trouble, as the vaccine is 100% effective. Besides vaccination, it is recommended that you avoid all contact with stray animals of any type or breed.

If an accident occurs, even if you have been vaccinated and taken all precautions, there are two essential steps you absolutely must take:
- Wash the wound that came in contact with the animal’s saliva, using a mild soap, and rinse it thoroughly with water for at least 5 minutes. Complete your disinfection of the wound using proviodine, tincture of iodine or a 40% to 70% solution of alcohol. This step will already lessen the risk of infection by 90%.
- Go immediately to a clinic or hospital and receive two supplementary doses of rabies vaccine.
If you haven’t been vaccinated and an accident occurs, take the following preventive steps. You MUST do all four of these things ABSOLUTELY – it’s a matter of life and death!
- Wash the wound that came in contact with the animal’s saliva, using mild soap, and rinse it thoroughly with water for at least 5 minutes. Complete your disinfection of the wound using proviodine, tincture of iodine or a 40% to 70% solution of alcohol. This simple step will already lessen the risk of contamination by 90%.
- Go immediately to a clinic or hospital to obtain a complete vaccination series.
- Make sure you also receive antibodies (known as immunoglobulin).
- If you can’t do any one of these steps, it is imperative that you return home as fast as possible.

Remember, it isn’t too late to obtain treatment, as long as the symptoms haven’t yet appeared. However, as soon as the first signs of the disease appear, no treatment can help you – death is certain and cannot be prevented.

The Public Health Agency of Canada strongly recommends that all travellers consult a travel health specialist before they go abroad. Your specialist will be able to advise you about various resources and options available so that you can protect yourself effectively against this virus.

Vaccination : rabies

Yes

Come and see our experts

Recommended products

None

Nota Bene

Rabies is the only disease that can be treated by vaccination before and after you are infected.
An animal that has caught the rabies virus may be contagious for up to 15 days before it shows the first signs of the disease.
Once infected, a human being can take anywhere from 5 days to several years before experiencing the first symptoms of rabies. The average observed incubation is between 20 and 90 days.
Asphyxiation or a coma punctuated by respiratory anomalies are the two causes leading to death in individuals infected by the virus.