Rabies: FAQs

o The rabies virus is very sensitive to heat. Cooking dog meat will kill the virus o If eaten, the rabies virus is also killed by the acids in the stomach o However, the one preparing the dog meat for food may be exposed through breaks in the skin, splatters o It may be possible to get rabies from eating raw dog’s brain but this has not yet been reported Can rabies be acquired by eating meat of rabid dog?

Can one get rabies from a rabid person? o 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-to- mouth resuscitation, sexual activity, exchanging kisses on the mouth o This is a rare occurrence and has only been documented from organ transplants o One cannot get rabies from sharing food or drink with an infected person

Can household pets also transmit rabies? o Yes, all dogs/cats can transmit rabies even if they are kept as pets o In fact, as much as 88 % of human rabies patients were bitten by pets

What other animals are able to transmit rabies? o 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, mongoose etc), rodents (rats, rabbies, guinea pigs etc)

Are puppies more “rabid” than adult dogs? o No, the risk of getting rabies is the same for those bitten by puppies and adult dogs

Will all dog bite patients develop rabies? o No, not all dog bite patients will get rabies o The risk of developing clinical rabies is around % and depends on: o Amount of virus in saliva o Severity of the bite o Location of the wound

Are traditional remedies effective ? o No, traditional remedies are not effective o May delay proper treatment because bite victim has false sense of security that the bite has been adequately treated o May cause secondary bacterial infection

Is rubbing the wound with garlic or salt effective ? o No, rubbing the wound with garlic or salt or applying vinegar is not effective in removing the virus o 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

Are wounds that are induced to bleed considered Category III? o Wounds that do not bleed spontaneously are categorized as Category II o This includes wounds that are induced to bleed

What should be avoided while undergoing anti-rabies immunization? What should be avoided while undergoing anti-rabies immunization? o Avoid chloroquine, systemic steroids and heavy alcohol consumption during rabies immunization o These may interfere with antibody formation

Is it safe to give anti-rabies vaccination during pregnancy? o Yes, rabies vaccine and RIG can be given safely during pregnancy o The risk of teratogenicity is less than the risk of rabies o Nerve tissue vaccine is not recommended during pregnancy

Can you give anti-rabies vaccination to patients with fever? o Yes, rabies vaccine and RIG can be given safely even if the patient has fever or other illnesses o There is no contraindication to rabies vaccination

Can you give anti-rabies vaccination to newborns? o Yes, rabies vaccine and RIG can be given safely to newborns o There is no contraindication to rabies vaccination

Do we give anti-rabies vaccination to rat bites? o Theoretically, rodents can transmit rabies. However, there are no documented reports of human rabies from rodents o The WHO and other rabies experts do not recommend anti-rabies vaccination for rat bites; anti- tetanus prophylaxis should, however be given

Do we give anti-rabies vaccination to monkey bites? o 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

Do we give anti-rabies vaccination to human bites? o Unless the patient is suspected to have rabies, there is no need to give rabies vaccination to victims of human bites

Does rabies vaccine cause neurologic damage? o The nerve tissue vaccine (Semple vaccine) was associated with neurologic side effects, but is no longer in use o The currently available purified vaccines are considered safe and effective with no neurologic side effects

Does anti rabies vaccination provide lifelong immunity? Does anti rabies vaccination provide lifelong immunity? o Although the antibodies from the vaccine persist for a long time, the immunity is not considered life long o Since the disease is highly fatal, every exposure should be treated either with a full vaccination course or booster dose/s

Does one dose of rabies vaccine provide immunity? Does one dose of rabies vaccine provide immunity? o The complete vaccination schedule consists of 3 pre- exposure doses or 4/5 post- exposure doses o One dose of rabies vaccine does not provide immunity

Why is it necessary to vaccinate the bite victim if the dog is vaccinated? o 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: o Improper administration o Poor vaccine quality o Poor health status of the animal o One vaccine dose not always provide long-lasting protection

o Reasons: o 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 o Some dog owners may claim their dog is vaccinated even if they are not Why is it necessary to vaccinate the bite victim if the dog is vaccinated?

o No, sacrificing healthy animals is against animal rights o Animals that are healthy at the time of the bite should be observed for 14 days o 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 Is it better to sacrifice all biting animals even if they are healthy?

Thank you