Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
RABIES (
LA RAGE
)
Rabies is a disease that is feared wherever it occurs - and it occurs
on Madagascar. However there are highly effective vaccines that give absolute protection.
The rabies virus can be carried by any mammal, and the commonest route of infection
is from a dog bite. It is likely that lemurs could pass on rabies, and bats can certainly carry
thedisease.Unfortunately,mostrabidanimalsdonotlookmadorfrothatthemouthsoitis
importanttoassumethatanymammalbitecouldbedangerous.Itisnotsafetowaitandsee
because once the symptoms of hydrophobia become apparent, the victim is doomed and
the mode of death is terrible.
After any animal bite, scratch or a lick over broken skin it is wise to administer good
firstaidtopreventinfection.Vigorouslycleanthewoundwithplentyofsoapunderrunning
water (from a tap or poured from a water bottle) for at least five minutes - timed with a
watch. After the cleaning process, the wound should be flooded with any strong antiseptic
solution or alcohol. Next the victim should get the wound dressed - but not stitched - and
post-bite jabs need to be arranged. Tetanus jabs, and sometimes antibiotics, may be needed
to treat wound infection.
If rabies virus enters the body, it slowly progresses along the nerves until it gets to the
brainatwhichpointitcauses encephalitis andhydrophobia-fearofwater,including one's
own saliva. The incubation period for rabies depends upon the severity of the bite and also
thedistance fromthebrain.Ifatoddler getssavaged ontheface thechild canbecome ill in
as little as four days.
LEMURS AND RABIES
Hilary Bradt
When I was leading a trip in Madagascar a few years ago one of my group was bitten
ontheforearmbyafemalering-tailedlemur.Theanimalwascarryingababyandwas
startled. It bit in self-defence. The skin was broken and there was a small amount of
bleeding. In the days that followed, Susanne and I agonised about the possibility of
rabies and what to do about it.
We asked advice from a local hotel manager who reassured her that there was al-
most no possibility of the lemur being rabid. I felt the same way so Susanne decided
to wait until she returned to Germany, but the uncertainty spoiled the rest of her trip.
Even the tiniest chance of catching rabies is too terrible to contemplate - and she
couldn't stop contemplating it.
She saw her doctor 18 days after the bite and was started on a course of injections.
Rather than being reassuring, her doctors told her that she'd left it much too late, and
that she would not know for three months whether or not she would get rabies - and
die. Of course she is fine now, but what
should
we have done?
