I feel that it is possible to eradicate Rabies all over the world. As the virus of Rabies, Lyssa virus of Rhabdoviridea, can't live outside the host. But the fact is that it is still causes huge mortality both in human and animals and produced new diseases every year all over the world. so need suggestion and ideas about it.
It is not eradicated because of the long incubation period and the low number of infections (since it cannot sustain out the body of host). The second reason is disputable, but the perceived risk has a key role in research financing decisions. If you cannot see a case in your environment you are reluctant. Statistics won't raise the awareness enough.
Also, the abundance of uneducated or urbanized people cannot prevent the easily preventable.
It is alright Mr Dung Nguyen Van. But water is also one of the major source of infection. You may contribute by giving information and guide lines about how make water pathogen free and how to maintain it. Thank you.
The wild animal, vampire bat, fox etc is reservoir for the Rabies virus. From the wild animal the virus is usually transferred to domesticated carnivores when they come in contact and fight with each other, e.g. dog and fox. Lot of Asian countries have street dogs, which very often come in contact with wild animals, e.g. foes, jackals etc . For controlling Rabies in Bangladesh, street dogs are being vaccinated by Director General of Health. Questions are being asked why Dog disease will be controlled by human health, it should by the animal health. However, one health approach may be best suitable platform for the zoonotically important diseases. Surveillance and strong separation of wild and domestic animals is also required.
Rabies exists in what are called, in public health, "reservoirs" of various vertebrate hosts. It is common, for example, in bats, foxes and skunks (as well as street dogs in some countries). These animals have various lifespans and come into contact with each other, and with other species which they bite, on differnt timescales so the virus is always hiding in a reservoir (i.e., a vertebrate host) somewhere. It may spread slowly from host to host and it can have a long incubation period within a host. So just because there are no active cases does not mean that it is eliminated.
The bites of rabid animals keep the virus in circulation so difficult to eradicate until this circulation of virus through bites is controlled.
Rabies virus usually travel to central nervous system from the biting side through nerve by the muscular action not trough blood. Therefore control of Rabies require control of Rabies in carnivores.
In Public Health there is a concept 'Reservoir of Infection' which as the name suggests is the source of infection for others. As long as this persists that too in wild and domesticated animals, we cannot control the spread of Rabies infection. Also is another factor that compounds to this problem is the long periods of latent or silent infection, which in animals called as dumb rabies infected animals. The source, and these characteristics help to sustain transmission among animals. One Health might be a good idea, this will certainly work in a controlled environment, say a small island, when it comes to large land masses, then the scenario is difficult and simply impossible. If the same rabies has human as reservoir then we could have eliminated or eradicated.
We can control the urban rabies, but it is very difficult to break the disease transmission occurrence due to sylvatic cycle. Bats, raccons and foxes are act as the reservoirs. As per WHO atleast 70 % of dogs need to be vaccinated in rabies risk areas, but our coverage is less then 50%.
Good question. Rabies virus circulates from host to host and survive. From wildlife to dogs and from dogs to human and animals and cycle goes on causing rabies to spread from man to man from country to country...on..and on...
What is required is political will. If this is happening, then funds and concerted well designed multi-pronged strategies can certainly bring down the transmission of the virus in the domestic reservoir population and also the mortality in humans also.
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