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One of the things I love most about writing this blog is that I learn so much.
Predictably, there was quite a bit that I didn't know about rabies. It's not like it's a common occurrence, or even uncommon. Every responsible dog owner has their dogs vaccinated against rabies. Bats carry rabies. Don't approach a dog, or any other animal, acting strangely, and particularly one that is excessively salivating. I think that covers what the average person knows about rabies.
Human cases of rabies are rare in the US, with generally only two to three occurrences per year, most of which are contracted overseas. However, more than 50,000 people worldwide die from rabies each year, and most of these cases are due to bites from unvaccinated dogs. In developed countries, wildlife exposure is the most common cause of rabies deaths. Of course, there are the idiots, like the couple in Utah who bought a home with bats. And enjoyed handling the bats!! The husband died in 2018 and his wife had to receive the rabies shots. Both said they had never been bitten.
With modern medicine still available to us, any encounter with a bat warrants receiving the rabies vaccination. The most insignificant of scratches can be fatal. (Indeed, the Utah family of the man who died said they had not been bitten or scratched, only that the bats had licked their fingers. And that they often found the bats in bed with them.) And that's why over 50 students in two Utah schools were sent to receive the preventative rabies vaccinations just from having the bats in their classrooms.
Vaccination is required by law (and common sense) for veterinarians and veterinarian office workers. It is recommended for cave explorers and those traveling to rabies-endemic regions. Pre-exposure immunization is over $500 and is usually not covered by insurance.
That's a hefty price tag, but it may be worth considering. I know I am, at least for my daughters who handle all the animals.
At the very least, make sure your pets are vaccinated for their protection and especially for yours.
However, post-collapse these vaccines are not going to be available and interactions with animals, especially wild animals, may increase. The first thing that is going to have to happen is that loose or wild dogs, pets that were abandoned or dumped by their owners, are going to get rounded up and euthanized or shot. It will be sad, but it will have to happen to protect the community. Because those vaccines eventually wear off and domestic dogs will have rabies again.
So what can we do?
As mentioned above and like most people know, strange behavior and excessive salivation are signs of rabies. In addition, nocturnal animals will appear during the day, and most will show aggressive behavior. Rabies is most commonly spread by raccoons, skunks, bats, opossums, coyotes, foxes, and dogs. According to Dr. Joseph Alton, author of The Survival Medicine Handbook, there has never been a documented case of rabies transmission to humans in the US from cows, squirrels, rabbits, rats, sheep or horses.
If there is any concern that an animal has rabies, that animal should be isolated and observed, if possible for at least a week. A biting animal with rabies usually dies within 5 to 7 days. Any unvaccinated pet or animal whose vaccination has lapsed that has been bitten or otherwise attacked by another animal should be isolated for at least seven to eight weeks, during which time signs usually appear, though sometimes rabies symptoms can take up to two years to manifest.
In people, signs of rabies usually appear one to three months after initial exposure, but again, may take up to two years to appear. The first course of action whenever someone has been bitten or scratched by an animal suspected of having rabies (and any bat contact at all) is to seek medical attention and the life-saving prophylactic rabies vaccines, currently a course of five shots over a two-week period.
Unfortunately, that will likely not be an option post-collapse.
Is there anything that can be done? Actually, yes. (This is the cool stuff I learned by writing this post today.)
Studies suggest that vigorous scrubbing and irrigation of the wound may reduce the risk of transmission. While washing and scrubbing with soap is good, benzalkonium chloride is best as it has demonstrated some efficacy against the rabies virus. Antibacterials, including iodine, have zero efficacy against viruses. The caregiver must don gloves to protect himself, and then the wound should be irrigated with a syringe and scrubbed vigorously for at least ten minutes to flush out the virus, saliva, debris, and bacteria. Do not close the wound, but keep it bandaged to prevent infection.
And that's all that can be done. Early symptoms of rabies include fever, headache, over-sensitivity to light and sound, difficulty swallowing, and (in animals) a fear of water. Once the sickness has begun, here is no known treatment that can save a person's life.
Links to related posts:
Skin Preps and Washes (including benzalkonium chloride)
Post Collapse Management of Domestic Animal Bites
Suturing the Skin
For further reading:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1058082/
https://www.reliasmedia.com/articles/141247-emergency-management-of-rabies-exposure
https://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Antiseptic_efficacy_of_benzalkonium_chloride
http://beansbulletsbandagesandyou.com/bullets/2019/04/27/rabies-prepare-aware/
https://www.cdc.gov/rabies/medical_care/index.html
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2014/0815/p239.pdf
https://www.deseretnews.com/article/900041016/utahn-dies-from-rabies-a-first-since-1944.html
https://www.deseretnews.com/article/865689891/Students-treated-for-rabies-after-bat-exposure-at-Utah-high-schools.html
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1 march 2023
