World Rabies Day 2019: What to Do if a Dog Bites You; How to Administer First Aid and Prevent Rabies

It’s a noble deed to feed and play with stray animals. But you don’t know how healthy they are and whether they are carrying any diseases. If they happen to bite or scratch you, don’t take it lightly and visit the doctor at the earliest. The animal may be infected with rabies, a zoonotic disease that affects the nerves and the brain. The rabies virus can enter your body through broken skin and invade healthy cells. By the time symptoms start showing, it’s too late for treatment. September 28 is observed as World Rabies Day to create better awareness about this zoonotic disease. If you ever get bitten by a dog, here are the steps you should follow to stay safe. US Woman Dies After Being Nipped At By Her New Puppy; Here’s What You Should Know About Capnocytophaga.

• Press on the wound. By doing this, you are encouraging bleeding at the wound site. This will remove some of the dangerous pathogens.
• But if the wound is bleeding, press a cloth down on the site to prevent more bleeding.
• Wash the wound. Use a mild soap and water to clean the area. If the wound is deep, cleanse deeply with detergent.
• Close the wound by applying a sterile bandage.
• Keep the wound elevated by propping up pillows under it.
• Check signs of swelling, pus or redness around the wound.
• Gather information about the dog and its whereabouts. Alert local authorities about the dangers of the dog or get the stay animals vaccinated.
• Go to the doctor and get the anti-rabies injection at the earliest. Any delay in treatment can lead to complication.

Rabies is a 100 percent preventable disease. It can be treated if the person is administered medicines at the earliest. But once the symptoms start showing, it becomes almost impossible to treat rabies. The disease has been cured only in one case when a 15-year-old girl from Milwaukee, USA was put in a drug-induced coma in an experimental treatment. The process came to be known as the Milwaukee Protocol. If you live in an area with a lot of strays, keep yourself and your family vaccinated.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 28, 2019 09:15 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).