By by Muhammad Qasim
The exact treatment of rabies requires one dose of passive immunization with Rabies Immune Globulin along with active immunization with five doses of Tissue Culture Vaccine over a 28-day period.
In case of pet animals, rabies prevention starts with the animal owner. Protect yourself, your pet and your community by taking animals for vaccination. Avoid contact with stray dogs, cats and wildlife. Wild animals should not be kept as pets. Eliminate stray dogs by starting anti-stray dogs campaigns. The key to prevention is immunization and good wound treatment.
National Coordinator of Rabies Prevention & Control Programme at National Institute of Health, Islamabad Dr Shahab Akhtar Kazi said this while delivering a lecture on treatment and control of rabies in a seminar held here at Pir Mehar Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, on Thursday.
The faculty of veterinary and animal sciences at the AAUR has arranged the one-day seminar to discuss effective ways and means for treatment and control of rabies in both humans and animals that was attended by members and senior students of the faculty. Vice Chancellor at the AAUR Dr Khalid Mehmood was the chief guest. The main objective of the seminar was to discuss current status and possible strategy for control on rabies in Pakistan.
Dr Kazi recommended that the disease could be controlled by humane killing of stray dogs, sterilization (castration) and mass dog vaccination adding, “however unfortunately none of the concerned authorities have so far taken any significant measures in this regard.” In Pakistan more than 95 per cent rabies cases are caused by dogs.
Talking to ‘The News’ after the seminar, Dr Kazi said a simple, fine and cost-effective cheaper way of vaccinating stray dogs is giving them medicine through bait, putting bate on places from where the stray dogs used to have food. “In Pakistan, no such practice is in existence,” he said, admitting that the problem has never been given a serious consideration by the concerned authorities.
Talking on diagnosis of rabies in animals, he said the suspected animal is beheaded and his brain is checked for Negri bodies. “In early 1980s, the facility of checking Negri bodies was available at the NIH but because of unawareness among public and transport problems, the NIIH had registered only a few cases. Later the NIH discontinued its services on the subject,” he said and added that the facility is available nowhere in Pakistan currently.
“The service should be available at least in tertiary healthcare facilities in big cities,” Dr. Kazi said, adding that prevention of human rabies must be a community effort involving both veterinary and public health efforts. Rabies elimination programmes should focus mainly on mass vaccination of dogs and elimination of stray dogs. Information, education and communication should be developed in Urdu. Active involvement of print and electronic media should be made to remove misconceptions and taboos that are known to be fatalistic for victims of animal bite. Media must also help arouse treatment seeking behaviour among victims, he said.
On ideal treatment of rabies, he said if you are bitten by a suspect rabid animal, wash bite wounds with soap and water and seek medical attention immediately. No suture or wound closure advised. Anti-rabies vaccine such as Human Diploid Cell Vaccine (HDCV) should be given in six doses intramuscular schedule of 1ml on 0, 3, 7, 14, 28 days and booster on 90th day if needed in the deltoid muscle.