Tag Archives: virus

Rabies

Causes of Rabies

Disease, Information,

The rabies virus spreads to humans through the saliva of infected animals. Most often, the virus is transmitted through bites.

Rabies is most often transmitted by bats, coyotes, foxes, raccoons, and skunks in the United States. Most rabies cases in developing countries are caused by stray dogs.

A person with rabies will almost always die once they show signs and symptoms of the disease. For this reason, anyone who may have a risk of contracting rabies should receive rabies vaccinations for protection.

Causes of Rabies

The rabies virus causes a rabies infection. The virus can spread via the saliva of infected animals which can spread the virus by biting another animal or a person.

In rare cases, rabies can be spread when infected saliva gets into an open wound or the mucous membranes, such as the eyes or mouth. This could happen if an infected animal licked an open cut on your skin.

Signs and Symptoms of Rabies

migraine with aura

The first signs and symptoms of rabies may be very similar to those of the flu and may last for days. Later signs and symptoms may include:

Diagnosis of Rabies

There is no way to know whether the animal has the rabies infection at the time a potentially rabid animal bites you. Also, it is common not to find bite marks. Your doctor may recommend several tests to detect the rabies virus. However, they may need to be repeated later to confirm whether you are carrying the virus.

Your doctor will likely recommend treatment as soon as possible to prevent the rabies virus from infecting your body if there’s a chance you may have been exposed to the rabies virus.

doctor injecting a person in hospital with syringe

Treatment for Rabies

If you have been bitten by an animal that is known to have rabies, you will receive shots to prevent the rabies virus from infecting you. If the animal that bit you can’t be found, it may be safest to assume that the animal has rabies. However, this will depend on several factors, such as the type of animal and the situation in which the bite occurred.

Rabies shots include:

  • A fast-acting shot (rabies immune globulin) to prevent the virus from infecting you. This is given if you haven’t had the rabies vaccine.
  • A series of rabies vaccinations to help your body learn to identify and fight the rabies virus. If you haven’t previously had the rabies vaccines, you’ll receive four injections over 14 days. If you have had the rabies vaccine, you’ll have two injections over the first three days.

If rabies is left untreated, it is almost always fatal. When someone with rabies starts experiencing symptoms, they usually do not survive. This is why it is very essential to seek medical attention right away following an animal bite, especially if the bite is from a wild animal.

Measles

Measles: Signs and Symptoms

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Measles is a childhood infection caused by a virus that can now almost always be prevented with a vaccine. This infection is also called rubeola. Measles can be serious and even fatal for small children. For more than a decade, the infection hasn’t been widespread in the U.S. as they have a high vaccination rate in general. 

Most of the measles cases originated outside the country and occurred in people who were unvaccinated or who didn’t know whether or not they had been vaccinated.

What Causes Measles?

Measles is caused by an extremely contagious virus called morbillivirus. If 10 people weren’t vaccinated in a room with someone with measles, 9 of them would get measles. This infection is spread by:

  • Sharing drinks or food with someone with measles.
  • Contaminated droplets are spread through the air when you sneeze, cough, or talk.
  • Kissing someone who has measles.
  • Shaking hands or holding hands or hugging someone with measles.
  • From pregnant people to their babies either during the pregnancy, delivery, or while nursing.
stuffy nose

What Are The Signs And Symptoms Of Measles?

The signs and symptoms of measles appear around 10 to 14 days after exposure to the virus. The signs and symptoms usually may include:

  • Fever
  • Runny nose
  • Sore throat
  • Dry cough
  • Inflamed eyes 
  • A skin rash made up of large, flat blotches that often flow into one another
  • Tiny white spots with bluish-white centers on a red background are found inside the mouth on the inner lining of the cheek 

How to Diagnose Measles?

Your doctor can usually diagnose measles depending on the characteristics of the disease. However, many doctors have never seen measles, and the rash can be confused with several other illnesses. If needed, a blood test can confirm whether the rash is truly measles. The measles virus can also be established with a test that usually uses a throat swab or urine sample. 

Treatment for Measles

There’s no exact treatment for established measles infection. However, some measures can be taken to protect vulnerable individuals who have been exposed to the virus.

  • Immune serum globulin – infants, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems who are exposed to the virus may receive an injection of antibodies called immune serum globulin. These antibodies can prevent measles or make symptoms less severe when given within six days of exposure to the virus. 
  • Post-exposure vaccination – Non-immunized people, including infants, may be given the measles vaccination within 72 hours of exposure to the measles virus to protect against the disease. 
Medications Used For Kidney Infection

Medications used for measles:

You should not give aspirin to children or teenagers who have measles symptoms. Though aspirin is approved for use in children older than age 3, children and teenagers recovering from chickenpox or flu-like symptoms must never take aspirin. Aspirin has been linked to Reye’s syndrome, a rare but potentially life-threatening condition, in such children.