World Rabies Day
World Rabies Day is observed every year on September 28th the goal of which is to bolster not only awareness but prevention as well. By encouraging worldwide efforts to prevent rabies, we can reduce and eventually eliminate worldwide deaths.
Many organizations across the globe have joined the efforts. Some of these organizations include the Centers for Disease Control, the United States Department of Agriculture, and the World Health Organization, to name a few. The hope is to one day wipe away all deaths due to rabies transmitted by dogs. In fact, the goal is to accomplish this by the year 2030. While rabies is preventable, thousands of people still contract rabies each year, and worldwide, thousands die!
World Rabies Day 2020
The theme this year for World Rabies Day is “End Rabies: Collaborate, Vaccinate”. People should not only vaccinate their pets against rabies but also encourage others to do so as well. This can be accomplished by banning together with local organizations, collaborating with pet health care partners such as local veterinarians, and lawmakers as well. Raising awareness can lead you to participate in locally organized events or even create your own event! Your quest to partner in the awareness campaign can also begin with using the simple tools at your fingertips such as social media! You can start by sharing this blog!
Tips to Protect Your Pet from Rabies
The Center for Disease Control recommends several things you can do to protect your pet. As mentioned above, up to date vaccination on all domesticated animals in the home, including dogs, cats, and ferrets is paramount. Keeping all family pets under your direct care at all times is also key. This means, don’t allow your pets to roam unsupervised. Similarly, family pets should be spayed and/or neutered to help reduce the unwanted pet population. Furthermore, animal control should be called to remove stray animals from your vicinity as they may already be infected or not yet vaccinated.
What is Rabies?
Rabies is a viral disease that can be transmitted from pets to people. This can happen via a bite or scratch. In fact, rabies is transmitted through saliva or tissue from an animal that has been infected. However, it is most commonly transmitted via a bite. The United States sees most cases of rabies virus in animals such as bats, foxes, skunks, and mongooses. Other countries deal more commonly with rabies in dogs.
How Rabies Travels through the Body
Rabies travels through the body initially with no symptoms. There is a period of incubation before symptoms present themselves. This period of incubation can range from weeks to months. During this time of incubation, there is no risk of contracting rabies from the infected animal. Rabies travels within the nerves of the body all the way to the brain. The virus will eventually reach the brain, multiply quickly, and cause inflammation before making its way to the saliva of the infected animal. It is at this time that the infected animal becomes a threat to others. Once the animal shows signs of rabies, death will occur before the end of 7 days.
As once said, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a simple step. Start by educating yourself further on rabies. Then join the campaign of raising awareness all year, not just on World Rabies Day. For more information about rabies, please check out these resources from the American Veterinary Medical Association.
World Rabies Day
World Rabies Day is observed every year on September 28th. The goal of observing World Rabies day is to bolster not only awareness but prevention as well. By encouraging worldwide efforts to prevent rabies, we can reduce and eventually eliminate worldwide deaths.
Many organizations across the globe have joined the efforts. Some of these organizations include the Centers for Disease Control, the United States Department of Agriculture, and the World Health Organization, to name a few. The hope is to one day wipe away all deaths due to rabies transmitted by dogs. In fact, the goal is to accomplish this by the year 2030. While rabies is preventable, thousands of people still contract rabies each year, and worldwide, thousands die!
World Rabies Day 2020
The theme this year for World Rabies Day is “End Rabies: Collaborate, Vaccinate”. People should not only vaccinate their own pets against rabies but also encourage others to do so as well. This can be accomplished by banning together with local organizations, collaborating with pet health care partners such as local veterinarians, and lawmakers as well. Raising awareness can lead you to participate in locally organized events or even create your own event! Your quest to partner in the awareness campaign can also begin with using the simple tools at your fingertips such as social media! You can start by sharing this blog!
Tips to Protect Your Pet from Rabies
The Center for Disease Control recommends several things you can do to protect your pet. As mentioned above, up to date vaccination on all domesticated animals in the home, including dogs, cats, and ferrets is paramount. Keeping all family pets under your direct care at all times is also key. This means, don’t allow your pets to roam unsupervised. Similarly, family pets should be spayed and/or neutered to help reduce the unwanted pet population. Furthermore, animal control should be called to remove stray animals from your vicinity as they may already be infected or not yet vaccinated.
What is Rabies?
Rabies is a viral disease that can be transmitted from pets to people. This can happen via a bite or scratch. In fact, rabies is transmitted through saliva or tissue from an animal that has been infected. However, it is most commonly transmitted via a bite. The United States sees most cases of rabies virus in animals such as bats, foxes, skunks, and mongooses. Other countries deal more commonly with rabies in dogs.
How Rabies Travels through the Body
Rabies travels through the body initially with no symptoms. There is a period of incubation before symptoms present themselves. This period of incubation can range from weeks to months. During this time of incubation, there is no risk of contracting rabies from the infected animal. Rabies travels within the nerves of the body all the way to the brain. The virus will eventually reach the brain, multiply quickly, and cause inflammation before making its way to the saliva of the infected animal. It is at this time that the infected animal becomes a threat to others. Once the animal shows signs of rabies, death will occur before the end of 7 days.
As once said, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a simple step. Start by educating yourself further on rabies. Then join the campaign of raising awareness all year, not just on World Rabies Day. For more information about rabies, please check out these resources from the American Veterinary Medical Association.
World Rabies Day 2020 — September 28
