Fatal ignorance: poll shows rabies is misunderstood

By THE SUNDAY NATION

 

 

Amid a major outbreak of rabies nationwide, including three human deaths so far this year, a survey has revealed major misunderstandings among the public about the disease.

 

Public Health Ministry spokesman Dr Opas Karnkawinpong revealed that up to 60 per cent of the 11,369 people who participated in the recent survey wrongly believed that rabies could be cured. Additionally, 34 per cent did not know that death is guaranteed if a person is bitten by an infected animal – unless they quickly receive a full dose of rabies vaccine.

 

Opas said that due to a lack of accurate knowledge about the virus, there had already been deaths from rabies this year in Surin, Songkhla, and Trang. In each case, the deceased person had been bitten by an infected dog but did not receive the rabies vaccine until it was too late.

 

He urged people who had been bitten by any animal to see a doctor as soon as possible and get a rabies vaccination. Even a bite from a household pet presented a risk of infection with rabies.

 

“If a person is bitten or scratched by an animal, they should clean the wound first with clean water and apply Betadine antiseptic in order to reduce the virus exposure, and then go to the doctor to get a rabies vaccination,” he said.

 

“It is important to get a full dose of the vaccine in time, because once the rabies virus gets through the nervous system and symptoms are presented, it is already too late for a cure and the patient will die.”

 

Disease Control Department director-general Dr Suwanchai Wattanayingcharoenchai said that the rabies outbreak in the country was very alarming. In the past two months, the infection rate has been 1.5 times higher than during the same period last year.

 

According to the rabies monitoring network of the Livestock Development Department, there were 359 confirmed cases of rabies reported in 37 provinces, mostly in North Eastern and Southern Region, since the beginning of this year until yesterday.

 

Roi Et was the province with the highest number of rabies cases, at 70, followed by Surin (39 cases), Yasothon (22), Songkhla (18), and Maha Sarakham (17).

 

Meanwhile, there were five confirmed rabies cases in Bangkok and another five cases in the nearby provinces of Samut Prakan and Nonthaburi.

 

Suwanchai warned that the rabies outbreak was a result of many factors including the collapse of general rabies immunisation due to a lower rate of vaccination during recent years. Other factors included people allowing their pets to roam outside freely, and a lack of awareness about the disease among the public.

 

“The Disease Control Department suggests that people help the authorities control the rabies outbreak by controlling the pet population, getting rabies vaccinations for their pets every year, and, if they are bitten, finding a doctor and receiving a rabies vaccination,” he said.

 

“The department has ordered local Disease Control offices to inform people about the danger of rabies and how to prevent the disease, and also find those who have been exposed to the rabies virus to get a full dose of vaccine.”

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30340654

 

 

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-03-11

"We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid."

- Benjamin Franklin

Malaysia has no rabies outbreak simply  by culling street dogs.

Follows on from AIDS doesn't it?  Roads deaths follow this same pattern. Education has to be worked at, it doesn't just miraculously happen. For many years TV was the great chance to get good information out to the general public and it was wasted on generating money via adverts. 

44 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

Suwanchai warned that the rabies outbreak was a result of many factors including the collapse of general rabies immunisation due to a lower rate of vaccination during recent years. Other factors included people allowing their pets to roam outside freely, and a lack of awareness about the disease among the public.

So it's nothing to do with the packs of Soi dogs everywhere then?

People can get rabies only via a bite from a rabid animal or possibly through scratches, abrasions, open wounds, or mucous membranes in contact with saliva.

Saliva from an infected animal can also transmit rabies if the saliva comes into contact with the eyes, mouth, or nose.

40 minutes ago, Lungstib said:

Follows on from AIDS doesn't it?  Roads deaths follow this same pattern. Education has to be worked at, it doesn't just miraculously happen. For many years TV was the great chance to get good information out to the general public and it was wasted on generating money via adverts. 

Whilst I agree with you in every respect,I am nevertheless puzzled by the extreme level of denial employed by Thais at each and every opportunity.

 

They all spring forth from their mothers wombs fully equipped with a ready charged smartphone and a lifetime subscription to Line and Facebook.

 

They have access to knowledge if they wish to use it-be it sex education,rabies,appalling driving or anything else.

2 hours ago, Wilsonandson said:

People can get rabies only via a bite from a rabid animal or possibly through scratches, abrasions, open wounds, or mucous membranes in contact with saliva.

Saliva from an infected animal can also transmit rabies if the saliva comes into contact with the eyes, mouth, or nose.

I agree but the bleeding heart dog lovers see nothing wrong with letting dogs lick faces, either theirs or their kids.  Maybe just after licking faeces too!

2 hours ago, Odysseus123 said:

Whilst I agree with you in every respect,I am nevertheless puzzled by the extreme level of denial employed by Thais at each and every opportunity.

 

They all spring forth from their mothers wombs fully equipped with a ready charged smartphone and a lifetime subscription to Line and Facebook.

 

They have access to knowledge if they wish to use it-be it sex education,rabies,appalling driving or anything else.

The typical attitude.  Who me? A bad driver? No, it's everyone else and I already know everything I need to know.  After all I went to school didn't I so I've been taught everything there is to know. Now I've got to get back to my Facebook/gaming/Line messages so don't interrupt me.

 

My gf's brother died a couple of years back.  From what I've been told I suspect it was leptospirosis and he left it too late to see a doctor.  Her son almost went the same way but spent several days in ICU and recovered but still has problems. Neither wanted to go to a doctor.  Education about serious diseases should be part of the curriculum.  Still boggles my mind in a country where rabies is endemic that dogs are allowed to roam and breed without any meaningful control.

Here is another misunderstood fact... You can catch rabis from an infected dogs saliva if the animal simply licks an open wound say on your hand. Be careful out there. And if you fear you may be infected get to the largest medical facility in the area and insist on the treatment.

I do beleive you can get a preventative shot as well,though i am not sure how long it last's,i just try and stay away from Dogs period.

  In view of the large rise in cases and the fact that many Thai's maybe too poor to pay to get their dog inoculated,maybe the government should introduce a free programme of inoculation,this would not cover all dogs i guess such as strays,or owners to lazy or uneducated to take it up,but it may make some difference. I also despair at stupid falang tourist's feeding and playing with these soi dogs,many of whom are little more than wild animals. Rabies is a truly horrible way to die.

I paid 50 Baht only for rabies vaccination for my cat.

Even poor people can afford to pay 50 Baht if they can afford to keep a dog or a cat.

6 hours ago, ryane66 said:

Malaysia has no rabies outbreak simply  by culling street dogs.

Hang on, a quick google search reveals that Malaysia still has rabies!

3 hours ago, AboutThaim said:

I agree but the bleeding heart dog lovers see nothing wrong with letting dogs lick faces, either theirs or their kids.  Maybe just after licking faeces too!

I doubt many people "see nothing wrong with letting dogs lick faces, either theirs or their kids" - when it comes to unknown dogs....

 

Yet another vastly inflated exaggeration that only detracts from the genuine need to educate, provide rabies vaccinations etc. etc. 

57 minutes ago, dick dasterdly said:

Hang on, a quick google search reveals that Malaysia still has rabies!

Yes sorry , some rabies but not an epidemic and they constantly cull street dogs. I lived on an island in the Philippines for over 2 years and even that island culled street dogs.

The belief system won’t allow the proper cull desperately needed in Chiang Mai. A rabbed dog has more rights than most people in this country. Another thing that will never change here.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Last years warning that rabies was going to get worse:

May 17th 2017

Thai Health Min aims to eliminate rabies by 2020 - ThaiVisa News

 

 

 

On 3/4/2018 at 11:57 AM, transam said:

A Canadian bloke told me he cannot be out of Canada more than six months to keep his state pension going..

 

1 hour ago, dick dasterdly said:

Hang on, a quick google search reveals that Malaysia still has rabies!

 

 

 

See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil

 

I am vaccinated. U can test antis in blood. If ure low on antis get new vaccine and off u go. Once BITTEN u need less shots if pre-vaccinated!

Whenever they are in a shop I always ask "how much for a kilo of dog"

 

 

So if you get bit, how much time do you have before getting the shots? Obviously, ASAP, but what's the limit? 

My granddaughter and 3 other kids where bitten by a "not" owned dog the other day while playing in the estate's kids playground.

Next day a loud speaker truck was driving around advising anyone who knows the 2 of 3 other kids to get them vaccinated within 48 hours.

 

 

 

 

People aren't born with this knowledge. They obviously need to step up the education on it. Years ago I was on an isolated small Philippines island and a cat licked my leg. I was kind of freaked out (didn't even have internet access to look it up) but logically assumed a lick if there was no wound couldn't transmit anything. But I was still freaked out. 

25 minutes ago, johng said:

Whenever they are in a shop I always ask "how much for a kilo of dog"

Especially if the shop is selling food.

 

Can a dog or cat be born with rabies?

4 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

 Years ago I was on an isolated small Philippines island and a cat licked my leg. I was kind of freaked out (didn't even have internet access to look it up) but logically assumed a lick if there was no wound couldn't transmit anything. But I was still freaked out. 

Thats interesting : So, a cat licked your leg ?

What did it feel like ?

30 minutes ago, sanemax said:

Thats interesting : So, a cat licked your leg ?

What did it feel like ?

Kinda raspy,I would imagine.

 

One presumes that the cat may have died.

 

 

15 hours ago, ryane66 said:

Malaysia has no rabies outbreak simply  by culling street dogs.

Until it crosses the border from Thailand or Indonesia

5 hours ago, Odysseus123 said:

Kinda raspy,I would imagine.

 

One presumes that the cat may have died.

 

 

On that island, it wasn't a natural death. Cat stew anyone?

11 hours ago, marko kok prong said:

I do beleive you can get a preventative shot as well,though i am not sure how long it last's,i just try and stay away from Dogs period.

  In view of the large rise in cases and the fact that many Thai's maybe too poor to pay to get their dog inoculated,maybe the government should introduce a free programme of inoculation,this would not cover all dogs i guess such as strays,or owners to lazy or uneducated to take it up,but it may make some difference. I also despair at stupid falang tourist's feeding and playing with these soi dogs,many of whom are little more than wild animals. Rabies is a truly horrible way to die.

My understanding is the Rabies vaccination gives you an extra 24 hours to get to a hospital to get the full treatment.  Can anybody clarify this and suggest the best place to get this and other vaccinations such as tetanus done in Pattaya.