Page 30 - The Villager September 2021

Health & Wellness

ISTOCk

wHetHer FuriouS or paralYtiC,

rabieS iS no JoKe

BY CASeY BROWN
Rabies is an infectious neurological disease that attacks the brain and, if not
caught early, it is almost always fatal to both people and animals.

ontrary to popular belief, the a wild animal. If they are allowed to run WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?
most fatal disease known to freely on a farm or in a game reserve, In animals, one of the most tell-tale
Cmankind is not the COVID-19 they may be attacked by a rabid animal. signs is foaming at the mouth or
virus – it’s rabies. This is according This applies not only to dogs and cats, excessive drooling. The animal will have
to Jacqueline Weyer, Senior Medical but extends to cows and horses, too. difficulty swallowing and may develop
Scientist at the National Institute of The kinds of wild animals that might a fever. From there, the disease either
Communicable Diseases (NICD). Once be carriers in our countryside would be progresses to Furious Rabies or Paralytic
the symptoms become evident, there jackals, foxes, badgers, monkeys and Rabies.
is no cure, she says. This applies to all bats, amongst others. In Furious Rabies, the animal
mammals, including humans. The disease is transmitted through becomes restless and irritable. It may
It’s not all doom and gloom, the saliva of an infected animal that become over-sensitive to light, noise
however, as rabies is preventable, either enters the victim’s body through and movement, causing it to become
provided animals receive regular rabies a bite or a scratch, or via the mucous aggressive. In Paralytic Rabies, the
vaccinations. membrane of the eyes, nose or mouth. animal becomes lethargic and may
The problem is, the virus can lie dormant withdraw to a quiet, dark place.
HOW IS RABIES TRANSMITTED? in the victim’s body for weeks (possibly As the disease takes hold, the animal
Domestic animals will most likely up to six months) before the symptoms will struggle to walk and will have
contract the disease through a bite from become evident. seizures. When the virus attacks the spinal

28 • Issue 9 2021 • The Villager