In November, 14 rabies cases occurred in foxes and dogs, 9 in cats, 3 in cattle and 2 in raccoons. Also, there was one reported rabies case in elk.
"In November, the largest number of animal rabies cases was recorded in Chelyabinskaya Oblast, Smolenskaya Oblast and Nizhegorodskaya Oblast," said the CNMVL. Experts added that Russian regions with the highest number of rabies cases regularly take samples for rabies virus detection tests and send them to competent laboratories for diagnosis.
Scientists are concerned about the number of human rabies deaths in Russia. In 2020, 7 people including two children under 17 died after contracting rabies because they failed to seek medical attention and did not receive a post-bite vaccination.
The majority of human rabies cases are due to bites from infected dogs or saliva exposure (transmission of virus can occur through saliva).
Rabies is an infectious disease caused by the Rabies virus. Rabies virus causes encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) in animals and humans. Rabies virus travels through the nerves to the spinal cord and affects brain.
People are usually infected following a bite or scratch from an animal with rabies (transmission of virus can also occur through saliva). If bitten or scratched or exposed to animal saliva, the wounds must be washed with running water and soap. It is recommended to use hydrogen peroxide to treat the wounds. The edges of the wound can be cleaned with iodine 5% solution. After that, seek immediate treatment at the nearest hospital and ensure that the complete anti-rabies vaccine is received.
