Human Infected By Rabies Virus

Most of uncontrolled rabies’s outbreaks occur in both Asia and Africa.Approximately about 31,000 people in Asia and 24,000 people in Africa are dead because of rabies infection per year.

According to National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, there are 18,000 of Americans received vaccine to cure from rabies virus. However, number of rabies-related human deaths in America decline from more than 100 annually at the turn of the century to one or two per year around 1990’s. In America, beside being bite by dog, most of human infected by rabies through bat. Poor people and children are most exposed to the infection. About 30% to 60% of children below 15 years old are dog’s victim. This is due to children often playing with animals and less likely to be bites and scratches.

Human deaths caused by rabies occur to those people who fail to seek medical assistance because of the unaware of their exposure. WHO recommend victim that had been bite to quickly clean and immunize the wounds. This will help to prevent the virus from spread.

However, the numbers of animals died because of rabies are higher compare to the numbers of human died. The ratio of human death is 1-2 people per year while the ratio of rabies cases are over 8000 cases.

Figure 1.3 Animal Rabies Cases (CDC).

Most of rabies cases are reported before 1960 involved domestic animals such dog. However, amount of domestic animals infected by rabies virus decline from 1960 to 2000. In domestic animals and livestock, the most commonly infected animals are cats while dogs tend to responsible for more bites. Oppositely, wild animals such raccoons skunk and foxes number arises from 1960 till 2000. The increasing numbers of infected wild animals are up to 90% per year.

Diagram below shows the distribution of Major Terrestrial Reservoirs of Rabies in the United States.

Figure 1.4 Rabies Reservoirs in the United States (CDC).

*CDC : Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)