Why in News?
The Delhi government, in collaboration with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), will implant microchips in around 10 lakh stray dogs to strengthen rabies control, digitise vaccination records, and manage stray populations. The initiative comes amid rising dog-bite and rabies cases in the city.
Description:
- Rabies: A deadly zoonotic viral disease caused by the Rabies Virus (RABV).
- Family: Rhabdoviridae; RNA virus.
- Target: Nervous system → causes acute encephalitis (inflammation of brain).
- Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) affecting poor & rural populations, esp. in Asia and Africa.
Transmission:
- Spread mainly through saliva of infected animals.
- Dogs: Responsible for up to 99% of human rabies cases.
- Entry routes:
- Bites by infected animals.
- Rarely: saliva entering open wounds or mucous membranes (eyes, mouth).
- Found on all continents except Antarctica.
Pathogenesis:
- Virus either:
- Directly enters the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) → migrates to the brain.
- Replicates in muscle tissue → enters nerves via neuromuscular junctions.
- Leads to fatal encephalitis once CNS is infected.
Symptoms:
- Incubation: Usually 2–3 months (can range 1 week–1 year).
- Early signs: fever, pain, tingling/burning at wound site.
- Advanced stage:
- Furious rabies → hyperactivity, hallucinations, hydrophobia.
- Paralytic rabies → gradual paralysis, coma.
- Once symptoms appear → 100% fatal.
Prevention:
- Vaccine-preventable disease.
- Dog vaccination (including puppies) → most cost-effective method (stops transmission at source).
- WHO goal: Zero human deaths from dog-mediated rabies by 2030.
Treatment:
- Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP):
- Immediate wound washing with soap & water.
- Human Rabies Immune Globulin (HRIG).
- 4–5 doses of rabies vaccine (administered ASAP).
- Nearly 100% effective if given promptly before symptoms appear.
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