Rabies street virus - Essay Example

Key Words: Rabies, Nervous System, Central Nervous System, Rabies street virus Introduction The occurrence of Rabies is evident when Lyssavirus rabies virus enters human body damaging one’s nervous system (Jackson, 2013, pp 5). When the virus gets in the body, it quickly goes to the brain and other body tissues via the nerve system (Jackson, 2013). This is a viral malady usually characterized by varied and unusual aggressive behaviors in warm-blooded animals (Jackson, 2013, pp 5). Its transmission occurs from one species to another, for instance, infected dogs to human beings through a simple bite (Campbell, 2012). In human beings, rabies turns out to be a dangerous contagion if there are no administrations of necessary medications prior to the commencement of various symptoms that may result to death of the ailing person (Acton, 2012). Mainly, in human beings this malady invades and damages central nervous system ultimately leading to death. The disease finds its way to the brain through the tangential nerve ways (Jackson, 2013, pp 45). In humans, the incubation period of the disease mainly takes few months though time is entirely determined by distance navigated by the viral agent to central nervous system (Jackson, 2009). According to the studies so far contacted, once rabies virus ultimately reaches the central nervous system and symptoms begin to reveal themselves, the infection is generally difficult to treat and eventually leads to death with very few days (Jackson, 2009). However, since the discovery of the disease, doctors have frequently recorded a survival rate of only 8% of all reported cases after biting incidence (Acton, 2012). Transmission All warm-blooded entities can acquire this contagion via viral agent, which exhibits signs of the disease and spreads to other people via biting (Campbell, 2012). Studies cite monkeys, cats, bats, raccoons, cattle and dogs pose greater risks of infection to numerous unsuspecting humans (Wilde, 2010). In most cases, this disease’s agent resides in nerves and saliva of the host, hence making the host being a potential reservoir of the complication once the animal bites human beings. This explains unusual anxiety and aggressive behavior portrayed by a rabid animal since they often attack without provocation to facilitate the contagion’s transmission to other organisms (Acton, 2012). However, transmission of human-to-human is very rare though there are few cases so far recorded during transplant surgery of various body tissues (Kumar, 2008, pp3). After infection through biting by the host, the virus enters victim’s body where it invades peripheral nervous system parts before finding its way to the central nervous system (Ainsworth, 2009). This prompts the act of identifying the malady in the infected person’s body turning to be big challenge because symptoms professed are often confused with those of other diseases (Wilde, 2010). On reaching the brain, the agent causes encephalitis marking the onset of varied severe signs (Wilde, 2010). In this stage, medical procedures may prove to be ineffective due to advanced state of the ailing person prompting one to be at risk of dying (Wilde, 2010). Symptoms It takes an average of 2 to 12 weeks for the first flu like symptoms to appear after infection (Kumar, 2008, pp 22). Additionally, the incubation period takes varied periods depending on the wound’s severity as well as the amount of complication causing agents that has entered the body via biting ((Kumar, 2008). In early stages of rabies development, the disease usually exhibits itself through varied symptoms in human beings (Dessain, 2008, pp10). For instance, one may start experiencing recurrent headaches, fever and depression in every stage (Eden, 2009). As the disease progresses, a person experiences severe muscle pains, aggressive body movements, sudden and unusual excitement as well as being hydrophobia. Other symptoms include increased saliva production, which suggests drinking anything may cause serve and painful due to contractions of the throat muscles as well as larynx. Paranoia, hallucination as well as paralysis comprise the most frequent signs associated with this complication (Anderson, 2011). At certain incidences, the patient may experience moments of mania and lethargy which if persist for over a prolonged period may prompt the patient to succumb to comma state. Once the symptoms have revealed themselves, survival is often rare despite administration of proper medications and intensive care (Anderson, 2011). This is because the disease at this state has already reached a fatal stage characterized by damaging of almost the entire respiratory system and eventually leading to death (Macpherson, 2012). Treatment Rabies is a complex predicament to treat because at its early development stages characterized by similar like other numerous other diseases; hence prompting numerous people fail to seek proper medical help in time (Eden, 2009). The proper and precise way of ascertaining rabies entails performing a viral test on brain samples of dead victims. In most cases, diagnosis utilizes body fluids like saliva, urine and other similar samples (Dessain, 2008). Treatment of the disease is effective if only the patient receives medication at the right time. However, studies so far contacted cite for any medication procedure to be successful, its administration ought to be within 48 hours after infection (Kumar, 2008, pp 84). In addition, washing the wound immediately with soap while still fresh is an imperative step and medically appropriate in reducing the number of viral particles before they spread into the entire body. A virucidal antiseptic ought to be applied on the wound after washing the wound (Anderson, 2011). Therefore, victims ought to get rabies immunization besides administered with immune-globulin. Afterwards, the ailing ought to get an additional vaccine injection on the third, seventh, fourteenth and twenty-eighth days after the first treatment (Anderson, 2011). According to the recent studies, Rabies accounts for numerous human deaths annually in the world despite being preventable even in third world states (Anderson, 2011). Most of rabies reported cases involving human beings are due to infection through dog bites especially among children (Whisenton, 2011, pp 36). It is advisable for the government to embark on ensuring serious measures for curbing spread of this deadly disease in the society by advocating animal immunization (Ainsworth, 2009). For instance, in United States, animal control and varied vaccination initiatives have managed to eradicate infected domestic dogs, which are often the reservoirs of rabies disease. This is also evident in several states like Australia and Japan where the respective authorities have managed to terminate infected animals, which they have ascertained to have the disease besides being able to prevent it effectively (Ainsworth, 2009). References Acton,Q. A.,2012. Rabies: New Insights for the Healthcare Professional: 2011 Edition: ScholarlyPaper.Ohio: ScholarlyEditions. Ainsworth, S 2009, 'Understanding the risk of rabies', Practice Nurse, 37, 1, pp. 10-11, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 16 September 2013. Anderson, J 2011, 'Rabies', Daily Variety, 311, 13, p. 23, MasterFILE Premier, EBSCOhost, viewed 16 September 2013. Campbell, S. 2012, "Understanding Rabies: Avoidance and Treatment", Primary Health Care, vol. 22, no. 7, pp. 16-20 Dessain, S.K., 2008. Human Antibody Therapeutics For Viral Disease. New York: Springer, Macpherson, C.N.L., 2012. Dogs, Zoonoses and Public Health. Chicago: CABI. Eden, A.N., M.D. 2009, "Rabies", Pediatrics for Parents, vol. 25, no. 1, pp. 7 Hicks, D, Fooks, A, & Johnson, N 2012, 'Developments in rabies vaccines', Clinical And Experimental Immunology, 169, 3, pp. 199-204, MEDLINE Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 16 September 2013. Jackson, A. C., 2013. Rabies: Scientific Basis of the Disease and Its Management. New York: Academic Press. Jackson, A.C. 2009, "Update on rabies diagnosis and treatment", Current infectious disease reports, vol. 11, no. 4, pp. 296-301. Kumar, P.D., 2008.Rabies.Atlanta: Greenwood Press.172 Whisenton, D., 2011.Rabies.New York:Xlibris Corporation. Wilde, H. 2010, "Book: Rabies", The Lancet Infectious Diseases, vol. 10, no. 6, pp. 380. Read More