Basic premise of rabies infection
First of all, the following points must be made clear:
(1) Rabies is a rabies virus in the saliva (or nerve tissue) of rabid animals, which can infect people by biting wounds or mucous membranes. The main route of infection is biting, and scratches are rare.
Dog and cat rabies is also transmitted by animals suffering from rabies, so pets that are not bitten by other sick animals will not be infected with rabies.
③ In urban communities where rabies has not occurred for a long time, as long as the owner manages the animals responsibly, rabies will generally not spread.
Understand the basic knowledge of rabies
1. In China, rabies almost occurs in rural towns, or small towns and urban-rural fringe, especially in southern provinces. However, some big cities (excluding their suburban counties) have hardly reported rabies for many years.
2. Dogs and cats transmit rabies mainly by biting. Under the background of the above (1), it is meaningless to be licked or drooled by the disease-free or healthy cats and dogs of your own family or neighbors. If the injured person is only slightly scratched, there is no bleeding or only superficial abrasion, 2.5% iodine can be applied locally (over-the-counter drugs should be prepared at home and sold in pharmacies). Those with serious scratches and more bleeding should go to the hospital for treatment in addition to immediate washing.
Healthy dogs do not carry rabies virus. In addition to the appearance changes, rabies animals are easy to observe, such as dull hair, dirty appearance, drooling and abnormal behavior. For example, tame animals become aggressive, and sticky animals become alienated from people. Only when an animal with confirmed or suspected rabies scratches or licks the damaged skin or mucosa can it be regarded as exposure.
3. Contact with rabies dogs or cats or their blood, urine or feces does not constitute exposure, so it is unnecessary to take preventive measures.
4. Rabies virus is quickly inactivated in the environment. So far, there are no confirmed cases of rabies caused by contact with pollutants in animal saliva and eating contaminated food or drinking water.
Rabies does not spread through the air, even if you are in close contact with stray dogs or dogs with rabies. There are reports abroad that rabies is infected by operating high-concentration rabies virus materials in closed laboratories and entering caves inhabited by a large number of bats, but this is only a few special cases and has nothing to do with you.
6. Rabies transmitted by bats mainly occurs in America, and few human cases are reported every year, even in Asia. It is reported that bat infection has also been detected in China, and no cases have been reported. So don't worry, unless you are really bitten by a bat and need exposure.
7. Human rabies will not be transmitted to healthy people unless the patient's organs are transplanted. Many years ago, an African country reported three cases of illness after close contact with relatives of nursing patients, but the reliability was questioned and the academic circles did not take it seriously.