Rabies outbreak in Nakhon Ratchasima

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Rabies outbreak in Nakhon Ratchasima

Image: Daily News

NAKHON RATCHASIMA:-- Local officials have revealed there has been an outbreak of rabies in Korat.

The announcement came as officials from the Disease Control Office issued a temporary ban on the removal or transportation of cats and dogs, either dead or alive from the Ban Nong Bong village in central Korat.

Locals were also told to report any cases of the disease to a local vet or to their village head.

The owners of any animals that die from the disease are required to inform the local authority within 24 hours of the death animal.

If the death can not be reported within 24 hours then the dead animal must be buried underground at a depth of at least 50 centimetres.

Rabies attacks the central nervous system and is deadly in both humans and animals.

Although there is no cure for the disease it can be prevented by vaccinations.

Source: Daily News

-- 2016-02-02

[SunsetT]

Why dont they ask owners of suspected sick animals to report it ASAP? Not wait until it dies which might give it time to bite someone or another animal!!!

[slapout]

The first solution has come and gone, preventive vaccination, it is time for the only option for all animals exposed to those with the full blown desease and vaccination of all humans exposed and those they have had physical contact with. The health department should be oiut in force doing what is required as should thoe groups who have taken it upon themselves to be responsible for the hundreds of animals that roam freely around temples, villages, etc.

Isolate, those, where it is practical, and possible, those others need to be put down. The only safe ones are those who have been kept current on vaccination and have written records to prove it. A dog can and will travel 10 kilometer from home and fight to breed any thing the cross paths with, thus exposing dozens more ever 24 hours. This is not the time to postpone, discuss, form committee, etc. Get done what has to be done asap.

[lostinisaan]

The owners of any animals that die from the disease are required to inform the local authority within 24 hours of the deaf animal.

[loppylugs1]

Hard to believe its rabies,must have spread from surrounding area that no report has been made,more likely to be distemper that mimics rabies especially with cold weather recently,do not believe it,rabies does not pop up from the ground

[meatboy]

50bht.for a rabies injection,oh dont bother i can have a bottle of leo for that. THAI CULTURE.

[Bob12345]

50bht.for a rabies injection,oh dont bother i can have a bottle of leo for that. THAI CULTURE.

Problem is that 90% of the dogs are not owned by anybody. When you have some rice left or want to pet a dog they are your best friend, as soon as they misbehave, shit somewhere, or need medical attention you wash your hands clean and pretend you have never seen that animal before.

Thais love dogs but hate responsibility.

[joebrown]

Hard to believe its rabies,must have spread from surrounding area that no report has been made,more likely to be distemper that mimics rabies especially with cold weather recently,do not believe it,rabies does not pop up from the ground

It's not that hard to believe if you know that it's happened in Roi-Et province, which isn't that far away from Korat. My g/f's father was bitten by a rabid dog, but didn't seek medical attention until it was too late. You would not like to read details of his agonised demise, as I still shudder every time I think about it. His 6 children have thankfully grown out of the trauma, but his widow has been mentally scarred, having never gotten over the shock.

[zyphodb]

"If the death can not be reported within 24 hours then the dead animal must be buried underground at a depth of at least 50 centimetres."

​And thats going to stop a starving soi dog from smelling it, digging it up & eating it?... I don't think so.....

[jacky54]

Massive rabies outbreak here is just a matter of time, time to cull about a million unwanted, unloved potential carriers- soi dogs. Will not happen of course as that would be common sense.

Edited February 3, 2016 by jacky54

[meatboy]

ge this is all we need,with the nakhon ratchasima recording the most deaths from DENGUE FEVER,now its RABIES, and what are the local officials doing about it,i expect the office for disease control have no budget left.

[Moonsterk]

Hard to believe its rabies,must have spread from surrounding area that no report has been made,more likely to be distemper that mimics rabies especially with cold weather recently,do not believe it,rabies does not pop up from the ground

It's not that hard to believe if you know that it's happened in Roi-Et province, which isn't that far away from Korat. My g/f's father was bitten by a rabid dog, but didn't seek medical attention until it was too late. You would not like to read details of his agonised demise, as I still shudder every time I think about it. His 6 children have thankfully grown out of the trauma, but his widow has been mentally scarred, having never gotten over the shock.

It is without a doubt one of the most painful and horrendous deaths possible. Anyone who is exposed- and just to an infected animal's saliva may be enough- needs to begin the prophylactic injections within 24 hours- it is a 97% death rate otherwise.

[Moonsterk]

50bht.for a rabies injection,oh dont bother i can have a bottle of leo for that. THAI CULTURE.

Need two injections initially, within 30 days- that's too complicated for some, apparently.

[SOTIRIOS]

Massive rabies outbreak here is just a matter of time, time to cull about a million unwanted, unloved potential carriers- soi dogs. Will not happen of course as that would be common sense.

...considering the number of 'open sewers' and canals.....and rats.....and mosquitoes...and ticks, etc...that is just the tip of the iceberg.....

[Lopchan]

Large bat population in and around Khorat and they are the most common carrier of rabies. Not impossible to believe one dropped dead only to be eaten by a soi dog and voilà!

[Ireland32]

Go out and get some Stun Guns and carry them, the Noise alone scares the crap out of them, No need to touch the dog but maybe rabid would still be aggressive and you might need to shock him, we were surrounded in Pattaya by 6 of them and my gf pulled it out of her purse and they ran off, supposedly 100 baht fine for having one, but sold all over especially police uniform shops accessory shops.

Edited February 3, 2016 by Ireland32

[loppylugs1]

Large bat population in and around Khorat and they are the most common carrier of rabies. Not impossible to believe one dropped dead only to be eaten by a soi dog and voilà!

Good suggestion,but short lived virus,once dead no rabies,probably bit the dog whilst alive,anyway incubation period for human can reach 19 years,,farang dead of other causes long before that

[Ghostnigel]

We are all doomed...doomed i tell ye....

[sunnyjim5]

A dog based rabies outbreak can only be controlled by impounding all stay animals.

Dog control measures have been proven to be effective in places like India.

[lonewolf99]

The whole of S.E. Asia is "India" waiting to happen.

I was in India 35 years ago and the skies were full of vultures that cleared up all carrion. Now there are basically none. What took over eating all the dead animals ? - Dogs. The population has gone way out of control and deaths from Rabies has rocketed.

The same will happen here, the dog population is spiralling out of control, misplaced charity from both Thais and long term foreigners going around feeding Soi dogs is madness.

The only dog on a street should be one on a lead. Not packs of them wandering around waiting to attack kids, joggers, walkers and people like me on bicycles.

As already mentioned - death from rabies is horrific. I have had to get the vaccine twice in my life. Once as kid, back then when it was 7 injections straight into the stomach every day for a week, 14 for an adult and then I had to get the modern course a few years ago in Pattaya when I got bitten.

I am cat and dog person but not a Thai Soi dog lover. I hate the site of the mangy brutes.

[never me]

We are all doomed...doomed i tell ye....

You will be if you get bitten on the ass by a soi dog with rabies.

[never me]

The whole of S.E. Asia is "India" waiting to happen.

I was in India 35 years ago and the skies were full of vultures that cleared up all carrion. Now there are basically none. What took over eating all the dead animals ? - Dogs. The population has gone way out of control and deaths from Rabies has rocketed.

The same will happen here, the dog population is spiralling out of control, misplaced charity from both Thais and long term foreigners going around feeding Soi dogs is madness.

The only dog on a street should be one on a lead. Not packs of them wandering around waiting to attack kids, joggers, walkers and people like me on bicycles.

As already mentioned - death from rabies is horrific. I have had to get the vaccine twice in my life. Once as kid, back then when it was 7 injections straight into the stomach every day for a week, 14 for an adult and then I had to get the modern course a few years ago in Pattaya when I got bitten.

I am cat and dog person but not a Thai Soi dog lover. I hate the site of the mangy brutes.

The idiot that lives next door to me feeds the soi dogs, 5 this morning sitting at my front gate.

I asked him to stop feeding the dogs outside our property and he just replied "Dont you like dogs"

I like dogs if they are well kept and kept in their place, as someone else said its getting out of control in Thailand.

[TerryLH]

"Anyone who is exposed- and just to an infected animal's saliva may be enough- needs to begin the prophylactic injections within 24 hours- it is a 97% death rate otherwise."

Typically a dog that bites someone is quarantined for 10 days. If it still alive, no rabies are assumed, and no further treatment is usually needed. If you don't know where the dog lives, or are unable to quarantine it, then treatment might be started.

If it dies during that time the brain is examined for rabies. Sometimes the doctor will have the patient start the rabies shots before the exam is completed, just in case, but not always. So saying that you need to start the injections within 24 hours is a bit of scare tactic.

If in doubt, start the treatment your doctor recommends.

[Farma]

TerryLH I bet to differ.

The standard practice where I live is for rabies injections to start or boosters administered as soon as the bitten person reports to the hospital. (I had my jabs a few months ago)

The staff ask for details on the dog and asks that the dog be monitored and the hospital updated if the dog shows signs of rabies. .

[Ghostnigel]

We are all doomed...doomed i tell ye....

You will be if you get bitten on the ass by a soi dog with rabies.

What with dodging mozzies with dengue fever, malaria, and now ziko virus, or whatever they call it...they say you can catch that from snogging....half of Pattaya will be wiped out if that happens.

Does rabies trump dengue fever? What if you get rabies, then get bitten by a mozzie with dengue? Maybe, just maybe, they cancel each other out...anyone tried it?

[SunsetT]

We are all doomed...doomed i tell ye....

You will be if you get bitten on the ass by a soi dog with rabies.

What with dodging mozzies with dengue fever, malaria, and now ziko virus, or whatever they call it...they say you can catch that from snogging....half of Pattaya will be wiped out if that happens.

Does rabies trump dengue fever? What if you get rabies, then get bitten by a mozzie with dengue? Maybe, just maybe, they cancel each other out...anyone tried it?

Trump fever?......OMG.......If many more catch it and he becomes US president then yes, we are all doomed!

[Ghostnigel]

We are all doomed...doomed i tell ye....

You will be if you get bitten on the ass by a soi dog with rabies.

What with dodging mozzies with dengue fever, malaria, and now ziko virus, or whatever they call it...they say you can catch that from snogging....half of Pattaya will be wiped out if that happens.

Does rabies trump dengue fever? What if you get rabies, then get bitten by a mozzie with dengue? Maybe, just maybe, they cancel each other out...anyone tried it?

Trump fever?......OMG.......If many more catch it and he becomes US president then yes, we are all doomed!

Hahaha...I knew if i wrote the word trump, alarm bells would ring!!

To be honest though, if i was an American, i would vote Trump or Cruz....Hillary and Bernie can go do one, they are far to soft on immigration for me.

[TerryLH]

"I bet to differ."

"The standard practice where I live is for rabies injections to start or boosters administered as soon as the bitten person reports to the hospital. (I had my jabs a few months ago)"

That may well be where you live, but it is not something that is normally done, or necessary in the US, where I have first hand knowledge of this.

Since Rabies is a serious disease, I guess it makes some patients feel better, even though they most often don't need it if they can watch the dog for the ten day quarantine.

The practice of giving the injections and the need for them don't match in most cases.

Terry

[jacky54]

I'd rather start the injections, you can try and watch the dog if you like, in the case of a soi dog of course not that easy

[sanuk21]

"I bet to differ."

"The standard practice where I live is for rabies injections to start or boosters administered as soon as the bitten person reports to the hospital. (I had my jabs a few months ago)"

That may well be where you live, but it is not something that is normally done, or necessary in the US, where I have first hand knowledge of this.

Since Rabies is a serious disease, I guess it makes some patients feel better, even though they most often don't need it if they can watch the dog for the ten day quarantine.

The practice of giving the injections and the need for them don't match in most cases.

Terry

This is Thailand not the US!

Waiting the 10 day observation period does not apply in Thailand where canine rabies is endemic!

The WHO recommendation for South East Asia......

"Simply observing the biting dog for 10 days without starting treatment is not justified."

"In countries where rabies is prevalent in a large population of dogs, it is compulsory to start treatment and keep the biting dog under 10 days of observation."

"If the animal remains healthy during the observation period then post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) can be converted into pre-exposure regimen, i.e. the vaccine taken will be to prevent rabies if bitten in the future."

Reference : WHO Rabies SEA FAQ Question 12

http://www.who.int/rabies/resources/SEA_CD_278_FAQs_Rabies.pdf