Dog is regarded as a faithful friend of man. But when it goes mad it is most dangerous. Biting by a mad dog leads to death if not treated properly. When a dog suffers from a disease called 'rabies', it goes mad. This disease is caused by a virus which is carried by the air or some wild animals and enters the dog's body through some cut or wound in its skin.
The virus is bullet shaped having a diameter of about 70 millimicron and a length of about 210 millimicron. It moves from the saliva-infected wound through sensory nerves to the central nervous system, multiply there and destroy brain cells. These viruses start showing their effect in 4 to 6 weeks' time. During this period the dog becomes lazy, suffers from fever and has no interest in food. When these viruses affect the brain, the dog gets excited. It growls and barks. saliva froths from the mouth. During this period, the dog can bite anybody. This is the stage when the dog is said to be mad. After such symptoms appear in the dog, it is likely to die within 3 to 5 days. When a mad dog bites a man, the viruses present in its saliva enter the man's body through the wound caused by the biting. Initially the victim experiences mental weakness and uneasiness followed by fever. Anxieties invade him. He suffers from lack of sleep and feels frightened. The muscles in the throat get slackened and he faces difficulties in swallowing food or drinking any liquid. He is afraid of water. That is why this disease is also called 'hydrophobia' which means 'fear of water'. The signs of this disease appear in the victim in one to three months from the time of dog-bite. If the dog has bitten at an upper part like the neck, mouth or head, it may take less time for the symptoms to develop. In cases of dog-bites, the affected portions should be immediately cleaned and arrangements made to start giving anti-rabies injections to the victim within three days of the bite. The dog should be watched for the next five days. If the dog does not die in that period, it should not be treated as a mad dog, and the treatment should be stopped since a mad dog must die within five days. A few years before, a daily injection of vaccine was given for 14 days or longer depending on the severity of rabies infection. In the early 1970s a new vaccine was tested. Now a days 7 to 10 injections are given, in case of a mad dog bite, to persons depending on the location of bite and number of bites on the body. The virus of rabies also attacks foxes, jackals, cats and rats. But they rarely transmit these viruses to human beings, because they have least contact with us.
The virus is bullet shaped having a diameter of about 70 millimicron and a length of about 210 millimicron. It moves from the saliva-infected wound through sensory nerves to the central nervous system, multiply there and destroy brain cells. These viruses start showing their effect in 4 to 6 weeks' time. During this period the dog becomes lazy, suffers from fever and has no interest in food. When these viruses affect the brain, the dog gets excited. It growls and barks. saliva froths from the mouth. During this period, the dog can bite anybody. This is the stage when the dog is said to be mad. After such symptoms appear in the dog, it is likely to die within 3 to 5 days. When a mad dog bites a man, the viruses present in its saliva enter the man's body through the wound caused by the biting. Initially the victim experiences mental weakness and uneasiness followed by fever. Anxieties invade him. He suffers from lack of sleep and feels frightened. The muscles in the throat get slackened and he faces difficulties in swallowing food or drinking any liquid. He is afraid of water. That is why this disease is also called 'hydrophobia' which means 'fear of water'. The signs of this disease appear in the victim in one to three months from the time of dog-bite. If the dog has bitten at an upper part like the neck, mouth or head, it may take less time for the symptoms to develop. In cases of dog-bites, the affected portions should be immediately cleaned and arrangements made to start giving anti-rabies injections to the victim within three days of the bite. The dog should be watched for the next five days. If the dog does not die in that period, it should not be treated as a mad dog, and the treatment should be stopped since a mad dog must die within five days. A few years before, a daily injection of vaccine was given for 14 days or longer depending on the severity of rabies infection. In the early 1970s a new vaccine was tested. Now a days 7 to 10 injections are given, in case of a mad dog bite, to persons depending on the location of bite and number of bites on the body. The virus of rabies also attacks foxes, jackals, cats and rats. But they rarely transmit these viruses to human beings, because they have least contact with us.
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