CORRECTED
Tehniat Khan-Roll#99
Article.
Dog bite
A very recent incident happened at my own
home, my younger brother who is about 18 years old became a victim of a stray
dog, a dog bitten my brother on his left feet and badly injured the fingers. We
washed the wound and without wasting any single second immediately took him to
the doctor. Firstly we went to Red Crescent Hospital which is located in
Latifabad unit 6 but over there no treatment was offered and the administration
came to us with an excuse of unavailability of vaccine which is injected after
dog bites. Then we took him to Bhittai government hospital which is located in
Latifabad unit 5 and again we heard the same excuse from them but over there we
were informed that you must go to Civil Hospital, it’s the only hospital which
is having vaccine. We went there and
after the doctor’s checkup my brother was vaccinated and they charged us 800
for the single dosage although it was a government hospital but we paid the
amount of vaccination.
The
failure of the successive governments in devising a national strategy for dog
population control and proper treatment of dog-bite victims has resulted in a
high loss of human lives over the years. About 150,000 people are injured by
the stray dogs, while an amount of people dies due to rabies every year in the
country. Still the disturbing fact that many of them die despite receiving the
shots of locally made anti-rabies vaccine. “People
usually get rabies from the bite of a rabid animal. It is also possible, but quite rare, that
people may get rabies if infectious mater from a rabid animal, such as saliva,
gets directly into their eyes, nose and mouth. Corning into contact with the
blood, urine or faeces of a rabid animal is not considered exposure to rabies
and, therefore doesn’t require treatment.”
Talking
about dogs in our very own province known as Sindh, the majority of the people
had been bitten by stray dogs. Vaccination is only available at the certain
well known major hospitals of the city. Like Karachi, the management of rabies
cell set up at the Civil Hospital. The dog bite victims all over the Karachi
report particularly in the month of June to November. According to the survey,
10 to 12 cases are reported daily, 90% of the victims are bitten by stray dogs
whereas 70% of them have severe wounds.
The first aid is critical in animal bite cases and greatly reduces the risk of rabies. Before the dog-bite victim is taken to a hospital, the wound should be washed and scrubbed right away with flowing water and soap thoroughly. Since the virus is present in the saliva, this measure would minimize the risk of rabies. If soap is not available, one can use water. The wound should be allowed to bleed, which also helps in preventing infection. After the wound is thoroughly washed, spirit or tincture of iodine should be applied. The wound should then be covered lightly with a gauze and tape and the victim should be taken to a hospital right away.
A doctor should always avoid stitching the wound because it helps the virus to remain in the body and spread. Only if the wound is too big, the doctor should go for loose stitching. Secondly, the WHO recommended treatment should be asked for. This means the administration of Tissue Culture Vaccine (TCV) instead of Sheep Brain Vaccine (SBV). If the wound is severe, the victim should be immediately administered Rabies Immunoglobulin (RIG) and then TCV. The chance of the dog being infected with rabies reduces when it appears healthy, and there is a firm history of vaccination with a mini-mum of two immunizations with a potent rabies vaccine. On the other hand, treatment should be considered urgent if there is any possibility of the dog being rabid or has escaped or there is a doubt about its immunizations history.
“Once the Symptoms of rabies set in, there is no cure”
While the poor residing in urban areas do find some relief as there are organizations and philanthropists working for poor patients’ welfare, the situation is alarming in rural areas. For instance Badin is amongst the worst hit area in the terms of dogs and snake bite cases.
A similar situation exists in Khairpur. Voicing concern at the apathy of the higher authorities, Shahab-Uddin Sheikh, EDO Health Khairpur, says, The NIH vaccine is always in short supply. If we ask for 200 vials they don't give us even 50. The imported vaccine is very expensive and we can't afford to buy them from our own budget. They should be a separate allocation for life-saving drugs as we had earlier, before the establishment of the local governments. Given the problems the dog-bite victims face, many believe that efforts towards preventing the disease should be initiated by targeting stray dogs, the main source of infection.
Though experts say that mass sterilization is the best technique to control dog population, many believe that it's not a viable option hero. "Though it's cruel to kill animals, unfortunately, it seems to be the only workable option here since the government does not have the expertise, staff and the money to sterilize dog population. Besides, sterilization will not prevent an infected dog from biting and transferring the rabies virus.
However, at the same time, it is necessary to make people feel that they should avoid provoking stray animals and they must teach children not to annoy stray dogs. After all there is some sense in 'letting sleeping dogs lie.'
The first aid is critical in animal bite cases and greatly reduces the risk of rabies. Before the dog-bite victim is taken to a hospital, the wound should be washed and scrubbed right away with flowing water and soap thoroughly. Since the virus is present in the saliva, this measure would minimize the risk of rabies. If soap is not available, one can use water. The wound should be allowed to bleed, which also helps in preventing infection. After the wound is thoroughly washed, spirit or tincture of iodine should be applied. The wound should then be covered lightly with a gauze and tape and the victim should be taken to a hospital right away.
A doctor should always avoid stitching the wound because it helps the virus to remain in the body and spread. Only if the wound is too big, the doctor should go for loose stitching. Secondly, the WHO recommended treatment should be asked for. This means the administration of Tissue Culture Vaccine (TCV) instead of Sheep Brain Vaccine (SBV). If the wound is severe, the victim should be immediately administered Rabies Immunoglobulin (RIG) and then TCV. The chance of the dog being infected with rabies reduces when it appears healthy, and there is a firm history of vaccination with a mini-mum of two immunizations with a potent rabies vaccine. On the other hand, treatment should be considered urgent if there is any possibility of the dog being rabid or has escaped or there is a doubt about its immunizations history.
“Once the Symptoms of rabies set in, there is no cure”
While the poor residing in urban areas do find some relief as there are organizations and philanthropists working for poor patients’ welfare, the situation is alarming in rural areas. For instance Badin is amongst the worst hit area in the terms of dogs and snake bite cases.
A similar situation exists in Khairpur. Voicing concern at the apathy of the higher authorities, Shahab-Uddin Sheikh, EDO Health Khairpur, says, The NIH vaccine is always in short supply. If we ask for 200 vials they don't give us even 50. The imported vaccine is very expensive and we can't afford to buy them from our own budget. They should be a separate allocation for life-saving drugs as we had earlier, before the establishment of the local governments. Given the problems the dog-bite victims face, many believe that efforts towards preventing the disease should be initiated by targeting stray dogs, the main source of infection.
Though experts say that mass sterilization is the best technique to control dog population, many believe that it's not a viable option hero. "Though it's cruel to kill animals, unfortunately, it seems to be the only workable option here since the government does not have the expertise, staff and the money to sterilize dog population. Besides, sterilization will not prevent an infected dog from biting and transferring the rabies virus.
However, at the same time, it is necessary to make people feel that they should avoid provoking stray animals and they must teach children not to annoy stray dogs. After all there is some sense in 'letting sleeping dogs lie.'
Hyderabad cases? Start with some fresh info, news, incident, report etc.
some portion is copy paste
Tehniat Khan-Roll#99
Article
Dog bite
Though the loyalty of dogs towards their masters is
an established fact, they can sometimes bite the hands that feed them. Dogs,
whether pet or stray, are dangerous if they are not vaccinated against the 100%
fatal disease rabies for which there is no cure in the world.
The failure of the successive governments in
devising a national strategy for dog population control and proper treatment of
dog-bite victims has resulted in a high loss of human lives over the years.
About 150,000 people are injured by the stray dogs, while an amount of people
dies due to rabies every year in the country. Still the disturbing fact that
many of them die despite receiving the shots of locally made anti-rabies
vaccine. “People usually get rabies from
the bite of a rabid animal. It is also
possible, but quite rare, that people may get rabies if infectious mater from a
rabid animal, such as saliva, gets directly into their eyes, nose and mouth.
Corning into contact with the blood, urine or faeces of a rabid animal is not
considered exposure to rabies and, therefore doesn’t require treatment.”
Talking about dogs in our very own province known
as Sindh, the majority of the people had been bitten by stray dogs. Vaccination
is only available at the certain well known major hospitals of the city. Like
Karachi, the management of rabies cell set up at the Civil Hospital. The dog
bite victims all over the Karachi report particularly in the month of June to
November. According to the survey, 10 to 12 cases are reported daily, 90% of
the victims are bitten by stray dogs whereas 70% of them have severe wounds.
The first aid is critical in animal bite cases and greatly reduces the risk of rabies. Before the dog-bite victim is taken to a hospital, the wound should be washed and scrubbed right away with flowing water and soap thoroughly. Since the virus is present in the saliva, this measure would minimize the risk of rabies. If soap is not available, one can use water. The wound should be allowed to bleed, which also helps in preventing infection. After the wound is thoroughly washed, spirit or tincture of iodine should be applied. The wound should then be covered lightly with a gauze and tape and the victim should be taken to a hospital right away.
A doctor should always avoid stitching the wound because it helps the virus to remain in the body and spread. Only if the wound is too big, the doctor should go for loose stitching. Secondly, the WHO recommended treatment should be asked for. This means the administration of Tissue Culture Vaccine (TCV) instead of Sheep Brain Vaccine (SBV). If the wound is severe, the victim should be immediately administered Rabies Immunoglobulin (RIG) and then TCV. The chance of the dog being infected with rabies reduces when it appears healthy, and there is a firm history of vaccination with a mini-mum of two immunizations with a potent rabies vaccine. On the other hand, treatment should be considered urgent if there is any possibility of the dog being rabid or has escaped or there is a doubt about its immunizations history.
“Once the Symptoms of rabies set in, there is no cure”
While the poor residing in urban areas do find some relief as there are organizations and philanthropists working for poor patients’ welfare, the situation is alarming in rural areas. For instance Badin is amongst the worst hit area in the terms of dogs and snake bite cases.
A similar situation exists in Khairpur. Voicing concern at the apathy of the higher authorities, Shahab-Uddin Sheikh, EDO Health Khairpur, says, The NIH vaccine is always in short supply. If we ask for 200 vials they don't give us even 50. The imported vaccine is very expensive and we can't afford to buy them from our own budget. They should be a separate allocation for life-saving drugs as we had earlier, before the establishment of the local governments. Given the problems the dog-bite victims face, many believe that efforts towards preventing the disease should be initiated by targeting stray dogs, the main source of infection.
Though experts say that mass sterilization is the best technique to control dog population, many believe that it's not a viable option hero. "Though it's cruel to kill animals, unfortunately, it seems to be the only workable option here since the government does not have the expertise, staff and the money to sterilize dog population. Besides, sterilization will not prevent an infected dog from biting and transferring the rabies virus.
However, at the same time, it is necessary to make people feel that they should avoid provoking stray animals and they must teach children not to annoy stray dogs. After all there is some sense in 'letting sleeping dogs lie.'
The first aid is critical in animal bite cases and greatly reduces the risk of rabies. Before the dog-bite victim is taken to a hospital, the wound should be washed and scrubbed right away with flowing water and soap thoroughly. Since the virus is present in the saliva, this measure would minimize the risk of rabies. If soap is not available, one can use water. The wound should be allowed to bleed, which also helps in preventing infection. After the wound is thoroughly washed, spirit or tincture of iodine should be applied. The wound should then be covered lightly with a gauze and tape and the victim should be taken to a hospital right away.
A doctor should always avoid stitching the wound because it helps the virus to remain in the body and spread. Only if the wound is too big, the doctor should go for loose stitching. Secondly, the WHO recommended treatment should be asked for. This means the administration of Tissue Culture Vaccine (TCV) instead of Sheep Brain Vaccine (SBV). If the wound is severe, the victim should be immediately administered Rabies Immunoglobulin (RIG) and then TCV. The chance of the dog being infected with rabies reduces when it appears healthy, and there is a firm history of vaccination with a mini-mum of two immunizations with a potent rabies vaccine. On the other hand, treatment should be considered urgent if there is any possibility of the dog being rabid or has escaped or there is a doubt about its immunizations history.
“Once the Symptoms of rabies set in, there is no cure”
While the poor residing in urban areas do find some relief as there are organizations and philanthropists working for poor patients’ welfare, the situation is alarming in rural areas. For instance Badin is amongst the worst hit area in the terms of dogs and snake bite cases.
A similar situation exists in Khairpur. Voicing concern at the apathy of the higher authorities, Shahab-Uddin Sheikh, EDO Health Khairpur, says, The NIH vaccine is always in short supply. If we ask for 200 vials they don't give us even 50. The imported vaccine is very expensive and we can't afford to buy them from our own budget. They should be a separate allocation for life-saving drugs as we had earlier, before the establishment of the local governments. Given the problems the dog-bite victims face, many believe that efforts towards preventing the disease should be initiated by targeting stray dogs, the main source of infection.
Though experts say that mass sterilization is the best technique to control dog population, many believe that it's not a viable option hero. "Though it's cruel to kill animals, unfortunately, it seems to be the only workable option here since the government does not have the expertise, staff and the money to sterilize dog population. Besides, sterilization will not prevent an infected dog from biting and transferring the rabies virus.
However, at the same time, it is necessary to make people feel that they should avoid provoking stray animals and they must teach children not to annoy stray dogs. After all there is some sense in 'letting sleeping dogs lie.'
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