Canine-wildlife contact behind spurt in rabies

[Blightwolf]

Canine-wildlife contact behind spurt in rabies
June 6, 2011

Interactions between wild animals and dogs on the city’s outskirts has led to an increase in the number of rabid canines, and thus a spurt in rabies cases in human beings, health experts believe. Rapid urbanisation and consequent depletion of the natural habitat of wild animals in the peripheral areas of Hyderabad has resulted in frequent straying of wild animals into human habitations.

As animals such as foxes and wolves, and primates like monkeys harbour rabies, they are believed to be spreading the disease to stray dogs through contact or what scientists call socialisation between different species. “Canine rabies typically occurs in the outskirts of the city and rural/tribal areas, where the dogs come in contact with wild animals and contract the disease and then bring it into populated areas,” says infectious diseases expert, Dr Suneetha Narreddy of Apollo Hospitals. Rabies is a disease caused by a virus that is almost always fatal.

“Even in the USA, there have been several instances of stray animals contracting rabies through wild animals. This generally takes places in a city’s outskirts where vast forest tracts once existed,” points out senior zoologist Dr A. Chakrapani. According to Dr Suneetha, control of rabies in the larger sense involves two processes: high volume prophylactic canine rabies vaccination, where at least 80 per cent of the animals are vaccinated, and second, animal birth control, that is, sterilisation of strays. In Andhra Pradesh these two programmes have not received the attention they deserve, leading to cases of human rabies deaths in almost all the districts, including a metropolis like Hyderabad.

Immunisation of canine populations is always fraught with logistic problems. The vaccine has to be given in three doses, one year apart, to give the dogs' lifetime protection. Keeping track of this is difficult in the case of stray dogs. The virus infects the brain of the affected animal and causes unusually aggressive behaviour including biting. The rabies virus is present in the saliva of the infected animal and is spread when the saliva is transferred through a bite or scratch. The risk of getting rabies is greater if a person is bitten multiple times or if the bites are close to or on the head.

Source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels ... rabies-817

[Canidae]

Unfortunate, but in my opinion, fairly preventable. If people would control their pets, then this might not be such a prominent issue.

I can only see this being unpreventable in the case of a stray dog having contact with a fox or raccoon with rabies, contracting the virus, then wandering back into the city and biting somebody. If that were to happen, then yes, it's truly a dangerous, unpredictable event. But if somebody simply lets their dog run wild out in the country, then...well, what were they expecting?

[Blightwolf]

Unfortunate, but in my opinion, fairly preventable. If people would control their pets, then this might not be such a prominent issue.

I can only see this being unpreventable in the case of a stray dog having contact with a fox or raccoon with rabies, contracting the virus, then wandering back into the city and biting somebody. If that were to happen, then yes, it's truly a dangerous, unpredictable event. But if somebody simply lets their dog run wild out in the country, then...well, what were they expecting?

I agree. People should have a better sense of responsibility, and awarenessness, and there definitely should be more information available on the rabies virus. I think a lot of people don't really even know about the risk factors and how the virus can spread and infect.

[NewMooon]

It is very important to get your pet vaccinated, and be responsible.