BBC Rabies warning over minor bites

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>BBC DAILY E-MAIL: UK EDITION

>Friday, 02 September, 2005, 8:00 GMT 01:00 -07:00:US/Pacific

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>HEALTH

>

> * Rabies warning over minor bites *

>Travellers are warned not to be complacent if

>bitten by an animal in a country where rabies is

>common.

>Full story:

>http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/1/hi/health/4204478.stm

>

Rabies warning over minor bites

Experts have warned travellers not to be

complacent if bitten by an animal in a country

where rabies is common.

 

Writing in the British Medical Journal, they

describe how a woman from Greater Manchester died

after a nip from an infected dog left only a tiny

graze.

 

The University of Liverpool researchers advised

travellers to seek urgent attention if bitten or

scratched.

 

Visitors to many countries in Africa, Asia, the

Middle East and Latin America should get

vaccinated, they said.

 

Travellers to these countries were also advised to avoid animals.

 

Rabies is an acute viral infection of the

central nervous system. The virus is usually

transmitted through a dog bite, and results in at

least 40,000 deaths worldwide every year.

 

RABIES SYMPTOMS

Most patients present with furious rabies, a

highly disturbed state associated with phobias

and severe difficulty breathing

However, up to a third present with the

paralytic, or " dumb " form of the disease

This can be harder to spot, and is sometimes confused with other conditions

Symptoms include headache, fever, itching, and

severe pain in the bitten limb, which may be

weakened

 

Around 90% of deaths occur in the developing

world, particularly in India, where dogs that

roam freely are largely responsible.

 

Rabies is rare in the UK, where just 12 cases

have been reported since 1977 - 11 contracted

abroad and one rare case acquired from a bat in

the UK.

 

Shooting pain

 

The researchers described the case of a woman,

aged 39 and from Bury, who was admitted to

hospital with shooting pain in her lower back and

left leg.

 

Three and a half months earlier, during a two

week holiday in Goa, India, she had been bitten

by a puppy on a lead.

 

It left a slight graze, but she did not seek

medical help, and she had not received a

vaccination before travelling.

 

She was diagnosed with rabies and died after 18 days in hospital.

 

Writing in the BMJ, the researchers said: " This

case serves as an important reminder of the risk

of rabies for any traveller to a country where

rabies is endemic, even tourists on a short visit

to a holiday resort, and provides several useful

lessons.

 

" Most importantly, travellers need to know

whether they are visiting a country where rabies

is endemic, and that any dog bite in such a

country must be taken seriously by the recipient

and any medical staff dealing with the patient

subsequently. "

 

Early stages

 

The researchers said that rabies was more likely

after the bite of a stray or rabid dog.

 

But they said: " Our case shows that even an

apparently innocuous bite from a pet must be

considered carefully, especially if it was

unprovoked: such an animal may be in the early

stages of rabies. "

 

Professor Derrick Pounder, an expert in forensic

medicine at the University of Dundee, said people

travelling to regions where rabies was a problem

had to weigh up whether it was sensible to get

vaccinated before setting off on their travels.

 

" For example, hiking in a rural area of the

Indian subcontinent where dogs commonly roam free

carries a sufficient risk of exposure - combined

with potential difficulties in obtaining early,

safe and effective post-exposure prophylaxis - to

warrant vaccination before travelling, " he said.

 

Vaccination before exposure does not eliminate

the need for treatment after infection, but it

simplifies treatment and may provide protection

after unrecognised exposure.

 

Story from BBC NEWS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/health/4204478.stm

 

Published: 2005/09/02 00:10:58 GMT

 

© BBC MMV

 

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