PERCUTANEOUS

Bite or scratch from an infected animal, including bats, foxes, monkeys and other free roaming animals. Dogs are the source of the vast majority of human rabies death. Transmission can also occur when infectious material, usually saliva, comes into direct contact with human mucosa or fresh skin wounds.

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55,000 DEATHS

(vast majority occurring in rural areas of Africa and Asia) worldwide annually (estimated)

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SYMPTOMS

Fever, wound site pain, unusual tingling, pricking or burning sensation around the wound site.

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SEVERE CASE:

Inflammation of the brain and spinal cord, hyperactivity, hydrophobia, loss of consciousness, death.

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Precautions against rabies, including avoiding animal bites and vaccination (pre-exposure, for travellers to endemic areas), should be considered.

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• Pre-exposure immunization does not eliminate the need for careful wound management and post-exposure immunization.

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Avoiding risk situations for animals bites. Thorough wound cleaning, initiated as soon as possible after exposure.

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Vaccination and immunoglobulin (post-exposure, for all exposed people).

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• It is important to consider the destination, the purpose and the duration of the trip as well as the patient’s access to healthcare and availability of rabies biologics.
• For post-exposure vaccination to work, it is essential that medical expertise be available on an urgent basis.

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