Dr. Yeimy Camilo Ogando, Family Physician, Primary Care of the General Hospital of the Plaza de la Salud.
In all cases of people assaulted by animals, it is necessary to determine whether there is exposure to the rabies virus.
Types of exposure:
Bite: penetration of the skin by tooth. This is the most dangerous and common high risk exposure.
No bite: contamination of an open wound or abrasion (including a scratch or scratch) or mucosa with saliva or other infectious material of a rabatic animal. Exposure of the rabies virus without the presence of a bite rarely causes rabies; It is low risk.
Indirect contact and daily activities (petting, feeding, or handling an animal) do not constitute risks, nor does contact with blood, urine, feces and saliva with intact skin, therefore post-exposure prophylaxis should not be administered in these situations.
For the exposure risk assessment, the following should be taken into account:
• Type of exposure: if it is high or low risk
• Epidemiology of rabies in animals in the geographical area where the exposure occurred (it is high risk in areas of high incidence of positive animals)
• Animal species involved (only warm-blooded mammals transmit the rabies virus).
• Health status of the aggressor animal (abnormal behavior)
• Circumstances of the exhibition.
• Low immunity of the animal by parasitism, malnutrition or poor management of the vaccine.
• Animal with a history of aggressions.
• Unknown animal.
Posted in: Hoy Digital newspaper.
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Dr. Yeimy Camilo Ogando, Family Physician, Primary Care of the General Hospital of the Plaza de la Salud.
In all cases of people assaulted by animals, it is necessary to determine whether there is exposure to the rabies virus.
Types of exposure:
Bite: penetration of the skin by tooth. This is the most dangerous and common high risk exposure.
No bite: contamination of an open wound or abrasion (including a scratch or scratch) or mucosa with saliva or other infectious material of a rabatic animal. Exposure of the rabies virus without the presence of a bite rarely causes rabies; It is low risk.
Indirect contact and daily activities (petting, feeding, or handling an animal) do not constitute risks, nor does contact with blood, urine, feces and saliva with intact skin, therefore post-exposure prophylaxis should not be administered in these situations.
For the exposure risk assessment, the following should be taken into account:
• Type of exposure: if it is high or low risk
• Epidemiology of rabies in animals in the geographical area where the exposure occurred (it is high risk in areas of high incidence of positive animals)
• Animal species involved (only warm-blooded mammals transmit the rabies virus).
• Health status of the aggressor animal (abnormal behavior)
• Circumstances of the exhibition.
• Low immunity of the animal by parasitism, malnutrition or poor management of the vaccine.
• Animal with a history of aggressions.
• Unknown animal.
Posted in: Hoy Digital newspaper.