Rabies is a viral infection spread to people through a bite from an infected animal. The viral infection contains the RNA virus of the rhabdovirus family found in the saliva of infected animals. When the virus gets into the body, it enters the peripheral nervous system and directly migrates to the brain. In return, the virus navigates through the muscle tissue and affects the nervous system. The viral infection is fatal especially when early treatment is not considered. Research carried out by the World Health Organization indicates that approximately 59,000 people die from rabies annually. Almost every animal can transmit viral infection both domesticated and wild animals. Nevertheless, rabies is a vaccine-preventable disease. That means that preventing rabies in people is possible through vaccinating animals especially domesticated animals such as dogs, cats, and goats. Among the animals most likely to transmit rabies include coyotes, bats, foxes, skunks, and raccoons (Tsiang, 1993). In return, different health organizations have increased awareness of rabies control and prevention through education and campaigning for responsible pet ownership.
Etiology and Risk Factors
As identified in the introduction part, the viral disease is spread to people through bites by infected animals. The virus is transmitted via saliva. The virus is fatal and death is one of the risk factors. In addition, the virus is associated with fever, nausea, headache, confusion, excessive salivation and insomnia among other symptoms (Hemashudha et. al, 2005). The infection affects anyone irrespective of their age. Rabies has been rampant globally affecting the most vulnerable populations living in the rural areas. In most cases, 99% of rabies transmission is through domestic dogs. Rabies occurs in two distinct types; encephalitic rabies where the infected person experiences hydrophobia or hyperactivity and paralytic rabies that causes paralysis as a dominant symptom. Living in environments where rabies is common is one of the risk factors. Also, working in a laboratory with rabies and getting into contact with animals that might have rabies infections can be a risk.
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Pathophysiological processes
The RNA virus of the rhabdovirus family cannot past through unbroken skin. When the saliva from an infected animal gets into contact with a wound probably caused through a bite or through mucous membranes such as eyes, the virus enters the peripheral nervous system and directly migrates to the brain. Once in the body system, rabies develops in five distinct stages including; incubation, prodrome, acute neurologic period, coma and lastly death. The symptoms develop gradually such that by the time symptoms appear, rabies gets fatal (Tsiang, 1993). Rabies transmission from the bite invades the nerve system. Axoplasmic transport progresses the virus to the brain where it causes nerve cell dysfunction. The virus is strong to overcome the immune system of the body as it affects different peripheral sites including salivary glands (Hemashudha et. al, 2005). When the virus accumulates in the body, the immune system weakens such that the last stage of the infection might occur if urgent treatment is not considered.
Clinical manifestations and complications.
Among the physical signs and symptoms that indicate the presence of the disease include; fever, nausea, headache, agitation, confusion, vomiting, excessive salivation due to salivary glands affection, insomnia, partial paralysis and hydrophobia among signs. When a patient is bitten or gets infected with the viral infection, he/she need to seek treatment as soon as possible. Failure to seeking medical attention, a patient might develop salivary glands complications inducing difficulties when swallowing and excessive salivation. Additional complications include paralysis, priapism, and difficulty in breathing, convulsions, and severe headache. When the complications are left untreated, the patient gets into a state of coma after which death occurs within a matter of hours. Breathing complications have been identified as the complications that cause death at a higher rate. Therefore, preventive measures and awareness on rabies protection and treatment approaches are necessary to prevent the spreading of the viral infection and reduce the rate of deaths resulting from rabies infections.
References
Hemachudha, T., Wacharapluesadee, S., Mitrabhakdi, E., Wilde, H., Morimoto, K., & Lewis, A. R. A. (2005). Pathophysiology of human paralytic rabies. Journal of neurovirology , 11 (1), 93-100.
Tsiang, H. (1993). Pathophysiology of rabies virus infection of the nervous system. In Advances in virus research (Vol. 42, pp. 375-412). Academic Press.
