The behavior of animals is often unpredictable, and careless interaction with them can result in bites. Most often, victims consult a doctor with dog bites. In most cases, the culprits of the incident are other people's dogs, but pets often get their teeth into their owner.
According to statistics, dog bites account for more than 90% of all animal bites. According to unofficial data, in Moscow alone, about 35 thousand people suffer from dog bites every year. It is very important to remember about infection prevention and to get tetanus and rabies vaccinations if you are bitten.
1 Dog bite. First aid
2 Dog bite. First aid
3 Dog bite. First aid
Types of bites
As a result of an attack by a dog (as well as other animals), both superficial and lacerated bites can occur.
With a superficial bite, the dog only pierces the skin with its teeth, and a puncture wound appears.
With a lacerated dog bite, not only more serious damage is observed, but also greater blood loss.
Most often, the dog tries to bite the following parts of the body: forearms, palms, thighs and ankles. When bitten by dogs, in addition to wounds and scratches, damage to tendons, blood vessels and nerves may occur.
Children's shoulders and face may be injured when attacked by “four-legged friends.” But it is especially dangerous when a dog bite hits the head or neck area. This can lead to internal bleeding, open and depressed skull fractures, and in some cases, death.
Symptoms of a dog bite
The main symptoms of a bite are bleeding and pain. If therapeutic measures are not taken, the wound may become infected.
Pay attention to the following signs of infection:
- increased body temperature;
- swollen lymph nodes;
- attacks of fever;
- swelling of the wound, pain and burning sensation in it.
The consequences of a bite from a dog, as well as from a cat and other animals, can be rabies and tetanus. Therefore, it is important to immediately seek help from a traumatologist at the nearest emergency room.
Excitation stage
The stage is characterized by increased sensitivity to external stimuli (light, smell, touch, sound) and fear of water. For example, the patient cannot even take a sip of water - convulsive contractions begin, even to the point of vomiting. As the disease progresses, convulsions occur even from the sound of pouring water. The patient's blood pressure rises, the heart rate increases, breathing becomes frequent and shallow, profuse sweating and drooling appear.
This stage is characterized by periods of excitement when the sick person cannot control himself. He becomes aggressive, tears his clothes, attacks people, and screams in a voice that is not his own. The attack is accompanied by aggressive hallucinations.
On our website Dobrobut.com you will find more information on this topic. By calling the above numbers, you can make an appointment with a doctor who will tell you when to do a blood test for rabies and what can alleviate the condition of an already sick person.
What is rabies?
Rabies (or rabies, from the Latin word rabies, hydrophobia, fear of water) is an acute infectious disease resulting from the bite of a dog or other infected animal, which is characterized by severe damage to the nervous system and usually ends in death.
The danger of rabies was known in ancient times, but there were no treatment methods, and every victim was doomed to death.
Only the great French scientist Louis Pasteur managed to create a vaccine against rabies (rabies vaccine) in 1885. On July 6, 1885, he saved the life of a 15-year-old teenager who was bitten by a rabid dog.
How does rabies become infected?
The causative agent of rabies is the Neuroiyctes rabid virus, which contains a single strand of RNA. The virus is resistant to freezing, antibiotics and phenol, drying, and direct sunlight. Destroyed by heat, acids and alkalis.
When a dog (or other animal) bites, infection occurs as a result of saliva from a rabid animal entering the wound. Once under the skin, the rabies virus quickly reaches the central and peripheral nervous systems. The rate of spread of the disease depends on the location of the wound (the higher the bite site, the faster the infection), the depth and size of the wound, and the reactogenicity of the human body (i.e., the susceptibility of the nervous system to a given pathogen).
1 Dog bite. First aid
2 Dog bite. First aid
3 Dog bite. First aid
Symptoms of rabies
The incubation period lasts from 1 to 3 months (sometimes from 12 days to a year). The speed of spread is influenced by the location of the bite.
There are 3 stages of the disease: initial (depression), stage of excitement, stage of paralysis.
Stage 1 of rabies:
- unpleasant sensations at the site of the bite with irradiation to the center, itching, hyperesthesia of the skin, although the wound may already have healed;
- sometimes inflammation reappears at the wound site, the scar becomes red and swollen;
- if the bite is on the face, then olfactory and visual hallucinations are observed;
- general weakness, headaches;
- nervousness and irritability;
- disruption of the gastrointestinal tract (decreased appetite, nausea, vomiting);
- constant increase in temperature to 37-37.5 degrees;
- disruption of the nervous system (sadness, fear, anxiety, apathy, nightmares);
- severe sensitivity of vision and hearing (ordinary sound or light begins to interfere).
Stage 2 of rabies - agitation (lasts from 2 to 4 days):
- the appearance of anxiety, increased heart rate;
- difficulty breathing and swallowing;
- the appearance and intensification of hydrophobia (fear is caused by the splashing, murmur, transfusion of water, its appearance, etc.);
- fear of light, loud sounds, open air (accompanied by muscle spasms and twitching, breathing problems);
- convulsions;
- attacks of aggression (a person scratches, bites, spits, fights, hits walls);
- disturbance of reason (appearance of delusional ideas, visual and auditory hallucinations).
After the attack passes, the person calms down and feels good.
Stage 3 rabies:
Symptoms of rabies at the stage of paralysis are associated with loss of activity of the subcortical formations and cerebral cortex, manifested in a weakening of sensory and motor functions.
The attacks stop. Body temperature rises to 40-42 degrees, hypotension and tachycardia appear. Death can occur within a day due to paralysis or cardiac arrest.
Who is at risk?
- People who have been bitten by wild or domestic animals;
- People living in rural areas and keeping animals at home that have not been vaccinated against rabies;
- People who travel to developing countries (Southeast Asia, Africa);
- People who go outdoors and come into contact with wild animals (raccoons, foxes, bats, etc.);
- Trappers and hunters;
- Veterinarians;
- People who work in nurseries, zoos, animal shelters;
- People who work with the rabies virus in the laboratory.
Prevention
Prevention (specific and nonspecific) in this case occupies a special place. A person who has been attacked must be vaccinated. In addition, everyone whose profession is related to animals (veterinarians, hunters) is vaccinated. Nonspecific prevention consists of thoroughly treating the wound surface with a 20% solution of medical soap.
During the consultation, the doctor will answer questions and tell you what can be done if you become infected with rabies. Appointments can be made online and at the above numbers.
Related services: Ambulance call 5288
The path to salvation
According to Rospotrebnadzor, every year in Russia from 250 to 450 thousand people who have suffered from animal bites receive anti-rabies treatment, about a quarter of whom are children. The following rabies vaccines are used in our country: Rabivak-Vnukovo-32 Culture-inactivated rabies vaccine for human immunization (FSUE NPO Microgen of the Russian Ministry of Health); KOKAV Anti-rabies vaccine, cultured, concentrated, purified, inactivated (FSUE NPO Microgen, Ministry of Health of Russia); Rabies vaccine culture concentrated purified inactivated dry (Enterprise for the production of bacterial and viral preparations of the M.P. Chumakov Institute of Poliomyelitis and Viral Encephalitis of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences Federal State Unitary Enterprise). Rabipur is also registered in Russia (Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics GmbH and Co.KG, Germany). The total market capacity of the Russian Federation (treatment + prevention) is in the range of 1.8–3 million doses.
In accordance with WHO recommendations, the immunological activity of the domestic non-concentrated vaccine (CAV) is at least 0.5 IU/ml, and the concentrated COCAV vaccine is at least 2.5 IU/ml. According to Rina Timerbaeva, deputy director for production and technology of the branch of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise NPO Microgen of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation Immunopreparat (Ufa), the use of COCAV made it possible to reduce the number of injections (up to 6 times) and administration doses (from 5 ml in 2 places to 2 .5 ml to 1 ml per injection). This significantly reduces the antigen load, reduces adverse reactions and post-vaccination complications. The local reaction is characterized by slight swelling, redness, itching, and enlargement of regional lymph nodes. The general reaction can manifest itself in the form of malaise, headache, and weakness. In very rare cases, the possibility of neurological symptoms is expected. In this case, the victim should be urgently hospitalized so as not to miss the development of encephalitis.
“Post-vaccination complications are caused, first of all, not by the insufficient quality of the domestic drug, but by the intensity of the immune response, individual characteristics and reactivity of the vaccinee,” Rina Timerbaeva is sure. Therefore, when carrying out urgent rabies prophylaxis, it is worth abandoning the search for imported vaccines, since delay can cost lives. For preventive immunization, it is possible to use an imported vaccine if there is time and money to find it.
Article on the topic
World Rabies Day. What to do if you are bitten by an animal? When summarizing observations of vaccinated people (1,708 cases), an amazing pattern emerged: vaccination with the Fermi rabies vaccine stimulates the immune system, as evidenced by a sharp decrease in the number of cases of bronchial asthma, gastric ulcers, collagenosis, herpetic lesions and periodontal disease, while influenza and ARVI were milder.
Anti-rabies immunoglobulins, which are the second component of urgent rabies prevention, are divided into homologous, obtained from human donor blood, and heterologous, obtained from the immune blood of horses. The negative side of all heterologous AIH is the risk of developing allergic complications. After the administration of rabies immunoglobulin, anaphylactic shock and a local allergic reaction may occur, since it is produced on the basis of horse protein. Its administration is recommended in a hospital setting. The homologous drug "Imogam Raj" produced in France is registered in some CIS countries. However, it is almost inaccessible due to its high cost and small production volume, which are caused by the objective difficulties of immunizing volunteers and the insufficient raw material base. There are no plans to produce homologous AIG in Russia in the near future.
Experts emphasize that rabies remains a real and formidable danger. According to the Ministry of Health, of those who died from hydrophobia in 2008–2011, 40 people (70.2%) did not seek medical help and, accordingly, did not receive timely anti-rabies treatment; 10 people (17.5%), having sought medical help on time, refused anti-rabies treatment. In one case, after dangerously localized bites inflicted by a wolf, rabies immunoglobulin was not prescribed, which contributed to the development of the disease.
“Despite the apparent simplicity of specific anti-rabies treatment, quite often there are serious violations in the prescription and implementation of a course of anti-rabies treatment, associated primarily with unsatisfactory knowledge of the instructions for using the drugs,” says Rina Timerbaeva. Only active educational work among the population, as well as improving the qualifications of medical workers, can reduce mortality.
Figures and facts
The average annual number of rabies cases in animals is highest in Europe and South America and lowest in Africa, while the incidence rate in humans is highest in Asia and lowest in North America. Rabies kills more than 55,000 people each year, mostly in Asia and Africa. At the same time, more than 15 million people in the world receive vaccination to prevent the development of the disease. This prevents hundreds of thousands of deaths from rabies each year. In the first quarter of 2013, animal rabies was detected in 37 constituent entities of the Russian Federation, including Moscow and the Moscow region. Traditionally, St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region remain rabies-free. The sad leaders are Belgorod region (79 cases in animals), Saratov region (64 cases), Moscow region (40), Voronezh region (37) and Tambov region (36). Two people fell ill (and died) in the Kursk and Vladimir regions.
