5 misconceptions about Rabies and Rabies Vaccine

Rabies is an acute infectious disease caused by the rabies virus that attacks the central nervous system of humans and animals, and is listed as the world's most deadly infectious disease by World Health Organization (WHO).

The initial symptoms of rabies are fever, fatigue, restlessness, nausea, followed by a period of euphoria and a state of high excitement, with an expression of extreme terror, irritability, and a sense of impending death, and finally a period of coma, which lasts only 6-18 hours.

However, the public often has some misconceptions about rabies, and this article will list the common misconceptions.

Misconception 1: Healthy dogs carry the virus too.

The findings of studies by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) deny this statement that healthy dogs transmit rabies virus.

Misconception 2: The incubation period of the virus lasts for dozens of years.

The World Health Organization has proven through very detailed viral genome studies that the incubation period of rabies virus is generally 2 weeks-3 months, and 99% of patients infected will develop symptoms within a year, and it is rare to take more than a year, with a maximum incubation period of only 6 years.

Misconception 3: One must be vaccinated within 24 hours of being bitten by a dog.

Vaccination is not always necessary after a dog bite. The World Health Organization (WHO) gives a 10-day observation method.

After the wound is disinfected, it is best to observe the biting animal. If the dog or cat does not die within 10 days after the bite, and there are no symptoms of rabid dog or cat, it can prove that the biting animal does not contain rabies virus in its saliva at the time of the incident, and vaccination is not necessary. In the case of other animals that cannot be observed in captivity, please get rabies vaccination immediately.

In addition, according to the WHO regulations, the principle of rabies vaccination is that the earlier the vaccination, the better the effect, preferably within 24 hours. If the vaccine is given more than 24 hours later, the vaccine can be effective as long as the person has not yet developed the disease before the vaccine stimulates the body to produce sufficient immune antibodies.

Misconception 4: Vaccination is required for dog licking wounds.

In a report released by the CDC in 2008, the probability of rabies transmission was evaluated for eight situations in which dog bites, cats licking wounds, dogs licking wounds, and contact with rabies patients in hospitals are related to a pathopoiesis rate of1 in 100,000, which means that vaccination is generally not necessary in these situations.

Misconception 5: Another vaccination is necessary if one is bitten again.

The experts at the Queen Saewabha Memorial Research Institute in Thailand, a WHO Collaborating Center for Rabies Pathogenesis and Prevention Research, have responded to the question of vaccine use by saying that only three doses of vaccine (on the first day of the bite, on the third day, and on the seventh day) are sufficient for future prevention, and that there is no need to inject immune serum when bitten by a rabid animal again in the future; and that if the dog that bites a human remains healthy after 10 days of observation, the vaccine treatment of the patient should stop.

Rabies is the most severe acute viral infection of humans, but no effective therapies have been identified to rescue a patient who has developed symptoms. The past decade has seen intense interest in the treatment of rabies, and treatments such as antibody and peptide discovery targeting rabies virus have been proved to cure rabies in preliminary animal studies, even after they showed symptoms of rabies in their brains. If the following research shows the same results in humans, it would be a breakthrough for treating people with rabies infection even after it reaches the brain.