Vet warns against rabies

The Mokopane state veterinarian this week called on residents to be aware of the risks of rabies and to ensure their domestic animals are up-to-date with their rabies vaccinations.
Rabies is a zoonotic disease (a disease which people can get from animals) caused by a virus which affects the brain and causes death. The virus is shed in saliva and is spread by the bite of an infected animal.
People are usually infected through dogs, but other animals which can infect people iclude cats, mongooses, jackals and other wild animals.
Signs of infection include changes in behaviour in all animals. Domestic animals can become wild and aggressive (they appear to be mad), while wild animals may become tame. Paralysis eventually occurs, resulting in death.
Be on the lookout for the following symptoms in dogs: aggression, howling, attacking without warning, salivation, biting at imaginary flies, fixed stare, wandering aimlessly, dropped lower jaw, inability to swallow, eating soil and sticks, choking, vomiting, difficulty in walking, paralysis.
Cats in turn will become very aggressive and attack without any prior warning signs.
People are infected when they get bitten by an infected animal because the virus is borne in the saliva.
Animals with rabies may appear to have something stuck in the throat as they salivate excessively. You should take care not to place your hands inside the mouth, because you can contract the disease if you get bitten or cuts on your hands are exposed to saliva.
Infected carcasses of cattle, sheep, goats, horses and donkeys may be a health threat if these are cut open, because it is possible for people to be infected through cuts or by splashes of brain or saliva into the eyes or mouth when cutting open the skull and handling the brain of an infected animal
The first symptoms of the disease in people are headaches, anxiety, fever, vomiting and fear of water. Finally paralysis will set in with coma and death following shortly.
It normally takes two to ten weeks for people and animals to show signs of the disease after being bitten by an infected animal. Once people or animals actually show signs of rabies no treatment is possible and they will die.
If you get treated in time (as soon as possible after the bite) patients will not die from rabies. If bitten, quickly wash the wounds thorroughly using soap or a disinfectant if possible. Then seek medical attention immediately from the nearest clinic or doctor.
The doctor or nurse will start a course of injections, which can prevent rabies developing. It is very important that you continue going to the clinic until the course is completed, because you can die if you do not get all the injections.
You should notify the state veterinarian or police if you are bitten by a dog or other animal. They will then investigate and if necessary destroy the animal making sure it is tested for rabies
It is very important that dogs and cats are vaccinated to reduce the risk to people and animals. All dogs and cats from the age of 3 months are vaccinated annually against rabies. Notify your state veterinarian immediately if you see animals acting strangely and rabies is suspected. Do not handle, or go near, strange animals, wild animals that seem tame and do not run away from you, sick animals that are not properly restrained or animals that appear aggressive.
The annual Rabies vaccinations for all dogs and cats in Mokopane and Mookgopong will be conducted during June. Please watch the newspapers and posters in town for the full programme.
Contact the State Vet Office at 015 491 4288 for any queries and assistance.