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- More than 55 000 people die of rabies each year. About 95% of human deaths occur in Asia and Africa.<\/li>\n
- Most human deaths follow a bite from an infected dog. Between 30% to 60% of the victims of dog bites are children under the age of 15.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"upsidedown\"](\"http:\/\/images1.blisstree.com\/files\/2010\/01\/bat.jpg\")
In North America, rabies is sometimes transmitted by rabid bats, so countries, like Canada, have guidelines in place about prophylactic<\/em> (preventative) treatment if someone comes in contact with an animal that could be rabid. <\/span><\/p>\nCanadian guidelines required anti-rabies injections for people who would wake up and find a bat in their bedroom. The reasoning was that if the person was sleeping, they would not always be able to tell if they had been scratched or bitten by the animal. However, researchers looked into the number of people who found themselves in that situation and found that this type of blanket treatment was likely not needed.<\/p>\n
Now, instead of encouraging that the bat be caught for testing, which could put people at risk if they hadn’t been bitten in the first place, adults must meet one of the two following requirements:<\/p>\n
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- The bat must have touched or landed on the person<\/li>\n
- It cannot be ruled out that there was not a bit or scratch that has come into contact with a wound on the person or the person’s mucus membranes (mouth, nose)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
With children, more caution may be taken and injections given if there is any concern.<\/p>\n
The change in recommendations came about because the risk of rabies with just being in the same room did not justify the expense and discomfort of the prophylactic treatment.<\/p>\n
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Image: PhotoXpress.com<\/p>\n
Post from: Blisstree<\/a><\/p>\n