Causes, Symptoms and Treatment methods of Rabies
2022-07-02 00:00:00
Rabies is a viral disease, treatment should not be delayed at all because doing so increases the risk of further spread. Rabies is transmitted to humans through bites or scratches from infected animals. It is generally believed that rabies is only caused by dog bites but this is not the case.
Rabies virus can be found in the saliva of any warm-blooded animal. This virus is found especially in animals like dogs, cats, monkeys, bats etc. Apart from biting and scratching these animals, this virus can also affect the central nervous system by reaching the human body on licking due to which the body gets traumatized gradually. Rabies is called Jalantak and Alark in Hindi. Let's talk about how rabies affects a person and what are its symptoms, causes and home remedies.
What are the Causes of Rabies?
Rabies is caused by the Lisa virus. It is mainly a disease of animals which spreads from infected animals to humans. This virus lives in the saliva of infected animals and when these infected animals (especially dogs or bats) bite humans, the virus enters the human body. Apart from this, even if the saliva of an infected animal comes in contact with the human eye, mouth, nose or any wound on the body, the rabies virus starts growing in humans which affects the salivary glands and nervous system of humans.
What are the symptoms of Rabies?
Most symptoms of rabies take several years to appear but the initial symptoms begin to appear within 1 to 3 months after a bite or scratch from an infected animal. The initial symptom of rabies is feeling of tingling in the muscles of the area where the animal bites or scratches. After this the virus starts reaching the brain through the nerves in the body which causes the following symptoms:-
- Constant headache.
- Frequent fever.
- Feeling exhausted.
- Stiffness and pain in muscles and joints.
- Irritability and fiery temper.
- Constant disturbance.
- Strange thoughts come to mind.
- Loss of appetite.
- Bad taste in mouth.
- Excessive production of saliva and tears.
- Irritation from bright light and sound.
- Difficulty speaking.
- Abnormal change in behavior.
When the infection increases, then the following symptoms start to appear:-
- Multiple vision.
- Difficulty moving the muscles of the mouth.
- Excessive production of saliva and foam in the mouth.
- Appearance of paranoid symptoms in the victim.
How to prevent or control Rabies?
- Pets Vaccination: Animals such as dogs, cats and monkeys should be vaccinated against rabies.
- Limit pet outings: Keeping pets indoors and supervising them when going out helps to avoid the pets coming in contact with wild animals.
- Keep small pets safe: Small pets such as rabbits cannot be vaccinated against rabies. So keep these animals indoors and away from wild animals.
- Report wild animals: Report feral dogs and cats to your local animal control authorities.
- Do not contact with wild animals: Stay away from any animal that appears to be suffering from any kind of disease.
- Rabies vaccination: Get vaccinated when traveling to a country or state where the risk of rabies is high or take the advice of your doctor.
Home remedies of Rabies
- Tetanus injection: This is usually a simple and early treatment for rabies. In case of an animal bite or confirmation of rabies, a tetanus injection should be administered within 24 hours to control the infection.
- Lukewarm water: In case of any animal bite and its saliva getting on the body, wash the affected area thoroughly with lukewarm water. This helps to remove the virus to a great extent.
- Kiwi fruit: Kiwi fruit proves to be effective in rabies disease because vitamin C is found in this fruit, which is beneficial in rabies. For this, two to three kiwis should be consumed daily.
- Cumin: Cumin also proves to be very effective when bitten by a dog or other animal. For this, grind two tablespoons cumin and twenty black peppercorns, mix light water in it and make a paste and apply on the affected area. Doing this helps the wound to heal faster.
- Lavender: Lavender has antiseptic properties which proves beneficial in any type of wound. Infection can also be avoided by applying a paste of lavender on the bitten part.
- Water and soap: First of all wash the affected area thoroughly with water and soap after coming in contact with an animal suffering from any type of disease. Apart from this, after washing the wound with soap and water, contact the doctor immediately if the animal has bitten and scratched, without delay.
- Vitamin: Vitamin-rich foods are very beneficial in case of rabies infection. Therefore, consume a good amount of spinach, orange juice, tomato etc.