Doctor debunks rabies myths
Rabies has claimed 21 lives in 15 provinces this winter, Public Health permanent secretary Dr Prat Boonyawongvirot said yesterday.
Deaths this year have exceeded the 20 for all of 2005.Puppies younger than three months old bit most of those who died. Rabies spreads in both the hot season and winter, Prat warned, adding it was transmitted by dogs fighting over mates. Prat advised anyone bitten to seek immediate treatment. Symptoms in humans could present themselves within seven days to two years after being bitten. He advised people to ignore long-held myths about rabies. Its spread was common in hot weather and cold and bites cannot be treated with balm or tobacco. Slapping wounds with sandals is not a cure, he added, and neither is holy water. It is not true killing and eating the liver of the dog that bites you will stop you getting the virus, he said. Prat told people the cutting off of dogs' ears and tails will not stop them being infected. Pregnant women can be treated for rabies, he said. The final myth is that 14 or 21 doses of rabies vaccine need to be injected around the navels of those bitten by dogs. The Nation
|
