What is Rabies: Unravelling the Deadly Virus and Its Impact on Humans and Animals

What is Rabies: Unravelling the Deadly Virus and Its Impact on Humans and Animals

Although rabies is 100 percent preventable with rabies vaccination, it is still an issue in more than 150 underdeveloped countries. Nearly 60,000 people worldwide die from rabies each year. Rabies is considered a zoonotic disease that can occur both in domestic and wild animals. Zoonotic refers to a disease that is transmitted from animals to humans.

What is Rabies?

Rabies is a virus that gets into your body when the saliva (spit) of an infected animal gets into an open wound caused by an animal bite. Essentially, rabies attacks the central nervous system, and once symptoms of the disease develop, rabies is almost always fatal to both humans and animals.

In this article, we will explore the impact rabies has on humans and animals. We will also explain the effectiveness of the rabies vaccination.

How Effective is the Rabies Vaccination?

Around 95% of people who have 3 doses of the rabies vaccine as a preventive measure will have up to 100% protection from rabies for 1 to 2 years. However, those who are at ongoing risk of rabies should get booster doses as recommended by your healthcare provider to maintain protection.

The rabies vaccine also works remarkably well to prevent rabies after you have been bitten. Studies indicate that if the rabies vaccination is given immediately to someone who was bitten by a rabid animal, it is 100 percent effective.

Why You Should Get the Rabies Vaccination in Carshalton at Anna Pharmacy

Unlike most illnesses, you shouldn’t wait for rabies symptoms to appear before getting the rabies vaccination in Carshalton or at the Anna Pharmacy near you. If you’ve been bitten or scratched by a wild animal or a pet that might have rabies while in the UK or abroad, you must get the rabies vaccination right away to prevent rabies from developing.

Although rabies is more common in underdeveloped countries from dog bites, wild animals like bats, skunks, etc. in the UK can have rabies and pass it on to humans (and other animals) too. Domestic pets can even get it if they have been bitten by a wild animal with rabies.