Prevention
Although rabies is a lethal viral illness, it may be stopped from spreading. To summarize, rabies is a fatal illness with no treatment once symptoms appear; however, transmission of the disease can be avoided in numerous ways.
The cliche that prevention is always better than treatment holds some truth. As a result, people, particularly those who keep domestic dogs and cats as pets, must take steps to prevent the rabies virus from spreading to humans.
Some of the preventative precautions required to avoid rabies transmission include pet vaccination, staying away from wild animals, and obtaining early and proper medical care.
Medical attention should be sought early on.
After a rabid animal bite or scrape, seeking medical help as soon as possible avoids the start of rabies symptoms. There is an urgent need to raise rabies awareness among youngsters. This is because children under the age of 15 account for almost 40% of those bitten by suspected rabid animals.
Following a suspected rabid dog or cat bite or scratch, vigorous wound cleaning with soap and running water is essential and can save lives.
However, the anti-rabies vaccination and immunoglobulins or antibodies must be received after that.
Unfortunately, the situation in Ghana is such that public health institutions occasionally lack anti-rabies vaccines, which are meant to be provided free of charge.
This isn't to say that individuals shouldn't try everything they can to get immunized before being bitten or scratched by a rabid animal.
Vaccination is required both before and after exposure.
Globally, 59,000 people are projected to die each year from rabies caused by dogs.
The majority of these deaths (96%) take place in Asia and Africa. Each year, an estimated 21,476 people die in Africa as a result of rabies spread by dogs (36.4 per cent of global human deaths).
As a result, keeping unvaccinated pet dogs and cats is a definite method to invite needless and early deaths into one's home and community. Unfortunately, rabies-related human fatalities are underreported in many regions of the world. Rabies has the greatest case fatality rate of any presently recognized infectious illness, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
As a result, while working with lyssaviruses, safety is crucial. As a result, in 2015, the WHO created the Global Framework to eradicate human rabies transmitted by dogs by 2030.
Conclusion
Rabies is a virus that causes death. Rabid animals and diseased people can spread the disease. To avoid the transmission of rabies, owners of pet dogs and cats must vaccinate their animals.
Because children are the ones who are most impacted by rabies, they must be informed on the disease's deadly repercussions.
To prevent rabies transmission to humans, everyone should follow the suggested preventative measures. Rabies has no treatment and is extremely fatal, although it may be avoided.