Commentary - Rabies: Surviving a fatal disease

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman De'Nea Fayall
  • 8th Medical Operations Squadron Public Health
KUNSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea --  Rabies is not commonly found in humans but can be transmitted to anyone of us.

Rabies is a viral disease that can affect warm blooded animals; such as dogs, cats, raccoons and skunks. The virus is transmitted through the bite or scratch of a rabid animal. Rabies affects the central nervous system, causing disease in the brain and ultimately death. Death usually occurs within days of the onset of symptoms which may include; fever, headache, general weakness or fatigue, anxiety, slight or partial paralysis, excitement, hallucinations, excess salivation, and difficulty swallowing.

We can't tell if someone has been exposed to the virus by just looking at them. We can only know once they start having symptoms and that may be too late. If an incident is reported properly, Prophylaxis can be administered to prevent most, if not all symptoms.

On Aug. 31, a U.S. Army Soldier died of rabies from contact with a dog while deployed to Afghanistan. Upon Public Health investigations conducted at the soldier's home-station, it was found that other members of the soldier's unit also came in contact or were bit by stray dogs during their deployment. Those soldiers failed to notify medical personnel of their potential exposure. If they had, the soldiers would have received extensive amounts of Rabies Prophylaxis and that soldier's death could have been prevented.

Recently, an Airman from Kunsan AB was involved in an animal bite. The Airman did not report the incident to medical personnel until three days after the incident occurred. At that time, the case was categorized as HIGH RISK and immediate Rabies Prophylaxis was initiated. Thanks to the Airman's supervisor ordering him to report, he survived the incident.

It is imperative all individuals involved in an animal bite or scratch incident report to the nearest emergency room and/or ambulatory services as soon as possible, as this could be a life or death situation.

Ambulatory services at Kunsan AB are available 24/7 and can be reached by dialing 911 from any base land-line phone or 119 from off base. If an incident occurs during duty hours please report immediately to the main clinic. If you have further questions regarding rabies you can visit the Center for Disease Prevention and Control at www.cdc.gov or contact the Kunsan Public Health Office at 782-4510/4509.