National Geographic- Seeking an End to the Terror of
Rabies in Madagascar
In line
with my last post, I wanted to further explore sicknesses and disease in Madagascar
that we are at risk of, and should therefore be fully educated on. Rabies is
one of the more serious diseases that we have could come close to.
While
reading this article I learned that rabies is one of the oldest diseases to
infect humans, and it is fatal to humans and dogs. The incubation period of
rabies can range from days to even years before any symptoms show, and by this
time it is too late to treat the patient. The symptoms are very extreme, and
the pathogen has adapted to make its host have a fear of water, causing the
host to have extreme thirst and over-salivate. This extra saliva helps spread
the disease. Hence the common association of an infected person “foaming at the
mouth.” It is amazing to me that the pathogen has adapted this complicated
approach to help it spread and survive.
People
are currently looking into research about the transmission and persistence of
rabies in dogs in Madagascar, which has previously been studied in Tanzania.
The first person to get rabies in Madagascar was infected in 1896. After this
event, an institution named Institut Pasteur de Madagascar (IPM) was created.
Its original goal was to combat rabies, but it has transformed to be a source
of research for doctors and scientists. It gives free, post exposure
prophylaxis to people who are thought to be at risk from being exposed to a
rabid animal.
This
sound like a great program because it helps people get treatment before the
disease can reach the symptomatic stage, therefore preventing death from rabies.
To eliminate
this disease and eradicate the pathogen people have put in place mass vaccination
campaign for dogs. Being an isolated island it will be easier, yet still
difficult for this to work.
Some doctors’
claim that rabies is everywhere in Madagascar and it had been raging for a long
time, meaning it most likely will not be eradicated soon. This means there is a
lot of work to do for the big challenge!
This photograph depicts two boys who just got their
puppies vaccinated in one of the many effective mass vaccination clinics for
rabies.
Here is the link! http://voices.nationalgeographic.com/2016/05/05/seeking-an-end-to-the-terror-of-rabies-in-madagascar/
- Jo
Langner
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