Understanding Rabies: Types, Causes, and Prevention
Rabies is an illness caused by RABV virus infections and commonly contracted through infected animals’ saliva through bites. General symptoms of rabies include burning or itching sensation on the bite wound, fever, malaise and fatigue, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, couching, and sore throat.
Are you an expat in Thailand looking to stay insured and safeguard yourself from rabies? This Pacific Prime Thailand article will discuss rabies, including its various types, the causes, symptoms, and prevention to help you stay safe and vigilant.
What are Rabies?
Rabies, caused by the Rabies virus (RABV) is an illness commonly contracted through direct contact with an infected animals’ saliva from bites. The virus enters the body through a bite, to which the infected saliva enters the wound and slowly proceeds along the nerves into the nervous system.
Two types of rabies exist, namely furious rabies and paralytic rabies, the former of which is characterized by aggression and hyperactivity while the latter is characterized by paralysis. The four main phases of rabies consist of incubation, prodromal phase, acute neurological phase, and coma.
Symptoms will vary depending on the particular type or stage of the infection, but some general symptoms include malaise and fatigue, aggression, headaches, and fever.
Who’s at Risk of Rabies?
Some people who are at risk of rabies include children, travelers, as well as those who work closely with animals, and more. This also applies to people with wounds, which allows the rabies virus to easily enter the body. Below we will briefly discuss the groups of individuals at risk of rabies.
- Children: Particularly those ages 5-14, children are particularly susceptible to rabies as they are prone to animal bites and may not know how to treat them properly.
- Travelers: People traveling to areas where rabies is common (such as northeastern Thailand, along with the central and southern regions) are at risk of getting rabies.
- People working with animals: People who work with animals, such as veterinarians or animal control officers and wildlife researchers are at an even greater risk of contracting rabies due to close contact with animals and they never know if the animals are infected or not.
- People with wounds: As the rabies virus can spread through bites, people with wounds are at a high risk due to the break in the skin being a vulnerable spot in which the rabies virus can enter and infect the person.
- People engaging in outdoor activities: People engaging in outdoor activities like camping are at risk of rabies due to contact with wildlife. Additionally, should they sustain any injuries that result in wounds, they are even more vulnerable to direct contact with infected animals’ saliva.
Phases of Rabies
During the incubation phase of the rabies virus infection, in which rabies virus can take several days to weeks in your body before reaching the nervous system, you won’t have any symptoms and if you receive treatment early in the incubation period, you should be fine.
The prodromal phase is when the rabies virus has entered the nervous system after traveling through nerve cells into the brain and spinal cord, causing nerve damage along the way. As the immune system responds, you will get flu-like symptoms.
Nerve damage may cause pain or numbness on your bite wound and this phase can last for two to ten whole days, to which there aren’t any effective forms of treatment.
The acute neurological phase of rabies is when the virus begins damaging the brain and spinal cord. During this particular phase, people have either furious rabies, characterized by aggression and hyperactivity or paralytic rabies, characterized by paralysis.
Furious rabies can last a few days to a whole week while paralytic rabies can last up to a month. In the final phase of rabies, the coma phase, true to its name, people can enter a coma and eventually succumb to the infection in the final stages.
Causes of Rabies
Rabies is primarily caused by the RABV virus in humans and animals, capable of moving around the body through the nerves and causing nerve damage along the way while hiding from the immune system before reaching the brain, in which it causes brain damage and can prove fatal.
Rabies is carried by animals and collected in their saliva, commonly transmitted through bites, and are commonly found in dogs. This means that if any break in your skin comes in contact with an infected dog’s saliva, you could become susceptible to getting rabies.
Symptoms of Rabies
While you won’t have any symptoms of rabies during its incubation phase (and you will be completely safe provided you get the right treatment in time), succeeding phases such as the prodromal and acute neurological phases could cause even more serious symptoms.
Some of the symptoms found in the prodromal phase include malaise and fatigue, fevers, and nausea. Below are the symptoms of rabies during the prodromal phase.
- Fevers
- Malaise and fatigue
- Nausea and vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Coughing
- Sore throat.
On the other hand, the acute neurological phase causes even more serious symptoms like sleeping difficulties, hallucinations, and more. Below are the symptoms of rabies during the acute neurological phase, divided into furious rabies symptoms and paralytic rabies symptoms.
Symptoms (Furious Rabies):
- Aggression
- Difficulties sleeping
- Seizures
- Hallucinations
- Muscle twitching
- Fevers
- Rapid heartbeat and breathing
- Mouth foaming (excessive salivation)
- Hydrophobia (fear of water and drinking)
- Delirium
Symptoms (Paralytic Rabies):
- Fevers
- Headaches
- Neck stiffness
- Weakness, starting from the bite wound, which progresses to other parts of the body.
- Tingling sensations
- Paralysis
- Coma (which can lead to death)
Treatment for Rabies: What You Should Do Upon Getting Bitten
Upon coming into contact with an infected animal’s saliva through biting, you should immediately wash out the wound with soap and water followed by applying a disinfectant such as 70% povidone-iodine alcohol, Betadine, or any safe antiseptic made for skin.
After cleaning and disinfecting the wound, you should then seek medical attention right away.
Diagnosis for Rabies
Once you arrive at the hospital for further rabies treatment, the doctor will then examine and ask you a few questions regarding your case. For instance, the doctor may ask you what animal bit you or how you were attacked in order to determine if you need to be tested for rabies.
Some examples of rabies tests could include saliva and blood tests. If you need to be tested for rabies, below are the tests you may be asked to undergo.
- Saliva test: If you undergo a saliva test, you’ll be asked to spit into a tube and the doctor will send your saliva sample to a lab to examine any potential signs of rabies.
- Blood test: Taking some blood using a little needle for a quick jab, the doctor will then send your blood to a lab to look for signs of rabies.
- MRI: In an MRI scan, you will lie in a machine that will take pictures of your brain, which the doctor will use to determine what’s causing your symptoms and if your brain is at risk of infections.
What is the PCEC rabies vaccine?
The PCEC vaccine (short for purified chick embryo cell) is a rabies vaccine used to protect people who were bitten by infected animals (post-exposure) or suspected exposure to the rabies virus (pre-exposure). The vaccine exposes you to a small dose of the virus so your body develops immunity.
Rabies vaccines will help prevent you from getting infected by the rabies virus by preparing the body for destroying the virus before it reaches the brain.
The exact cost of a rabies virus in Thailand will vary depending on your healthcare provider, so please contact your selected healthcare provider for exact details on your vaccine costs and frequency.
Some side effects from a rabies vaccine may include the following:
- Nausea, headache, and dizziness
- Fatigue
- Pain, itching, or swelling on your injected area
Rabies Prevention
While symptoms of rabies are extremely dangerous, that doesn’t mean preventing rabies is outright impossible altogether. Aside from getting a rabies vaccine yourself, you can also further extend the prevention to your pets by making sure their rabies vaccines are up to date.
Conclusion
In conclusion, rabies can cause a variety of symptoms especially following its incubation phase. These may include general symptoms of malaise and fatigue followed by nausea or fevers. Such infections can be caused by infected animals’ bites in which the virus from its saliva enters the body.
Fortunately, prevention is not entirely outside the realm of possibility altogether. Aside from getting the vaccine yourself, make sure you get your pets vaccinated themselves to prevent potential infections.
While the risk of rabies is uncertain, you can always craft a safety net for yourself and your family with a health insurance plan. Having a health insurance plan with the right areas of coverage will help you ease the financial burden from medical emergencies such as illnesses and injuries.
While finding a suitable health insurance plan could be daunting, it’s not outside the realm of possibility entirely and we’re here to help you.
As an experienced international health insurance broker, Pacific Prime Thailand has helped both local citizens and expats find a suitable health insurance plan, such as travel, international, maternity plans, and more, that match their budget range and specific healthcare needs.
Whether you’re an expat living in Thailand or a local Thai citizen yourself looking for adequate healthcare, our team of specialists will be more than happy to help you out with completely impartial advice at no additional cost.
If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. Or, if you are interested in comparing different health insurance plans available from multiple insurers, feel free to get a free quote here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get a rabies vaccine in Thailand?
Since dogs infected with rabies are sometimes found in Thailand, you will be happy to know that you can get rabies vaccines anywhere throughout the country.
How long should I wash my bite wound?
Upon getting bitten by a potentially infected animal, you should wash your bite wound with soap and water for at least 15 minutes immediately after the exposure. Then, after the initial wound cleaning, follow with disinfecting it by using any disinfectant like Betadine or 70% alcohol.
What kills rabies viruses on surfaces?
You can easily kill rabies viruses on surfaces using soaps, detergents, bleach, alcohol, or UV light.
Coming to Pacific Prime, she is ready to utilize her experience for the new pursuit. With a strong passion for storytelling and writing, she hopes her words could help bring people closer to the best international health insurance plan that works for them. After all, as a writer, there is no greater honor than when one’s words can add clarity to the world of the readers.
Apart from writing, she is an avid planespotter. On the weekends, you can expect to find her loitering around the airport, gawking at all the aircrafts taking off and landing. When the weather does not permit planespotting, you can find her huddling on her cozy couch, watching ballet and figure skating as well.
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