Question 20 (2nd post) Design a program to eradicate rabies as a human disease, based on your understanding of the virus’ life cycle

Rabies is a single strand RNA virus belongs to the lyssavirus family which most always results encelphaltis and death. Symptoms may occur in the host within two days of contraction or lay dominant for up to several years although the average dormancy is around 30 to 50 days which causes problem with diagnosis. It’s a zoonotic disease which can only survive briefly in the environment due to its sensitivity; therefore needing constant host interaction. The rabies virus life cycle of replication occurs in an animal host such as a canine, bat or racoon, once the virus infects a non human host it then replicates in the salivary glands, although it also infects other organs and tissues. For effective eradication of rabies as a human disease wild animal numbers need to be regulated along with domestic animals interaction with these wild animals. This virus is seldom past via human to human due to its inability to affectivity replicate in human saliva glands although it has occurred. The further spread to humans occurs when the rabies virus penetrates the skin. Infected patients have to follow treatment protocol to increase the likelihood of the patient’s survival.
The first and foremost important step in stoping rabies as a human disease is to stop human and animal interaction, although this have proven more difficult than it sounds. With modern day farming techniques and the ever expanding urban sprawls, there is more and more animal-human interaction. Animals are successfully adapting to living closely with humans. This interaction with animals increases the likelihood of contraction and transmission of this debilitating disease. Stopping human-animal interaction it is almost impossible although wild animal interaction can be decreased by making domestic properties unattractive for wild animals. Therefore by implicated more effect waste removal systems, not leaving food scraps open and outside. Educating general public and young child on what to do when they come across wild animals, for example do not provoke or feed, will decrease the likelihood of animal attacks and overall incidence rates of rabies. Also any strange activities in animals including bats should be reported so information on areas with high incidence of rabies is accurate and made known to the public. Rabies becomes an increasing problem when humans feel the need to invite animal into their homes and domesticate then, resulting in increased contact with a potential host of the rabies virus and therefore potential increase human contraction of this dreadful disease.

Just because humans imply an animal is domesticated does not mean it cannot be infected with rabies. Simple measures for common house hold pet, should be taking to reduce rabies infections in house hold pets. Fencing back yards potentially stops infected animals contact with domestic pets, fencing also reduces domestic pets roaming free. It have been documented that an increase in wild and stray dogs increases rabies in a population. By simply knowing where your pet is decreases rabies via stoping wild animal and domestic animal interactions. Routine vaccinations for domestic pets should be made mandatory where it is economically feasible. Livestock also need to be protected against rabies whether this is via vaccination or by decreasing the animal likelihood of contact with infected animals. This is done by vaccination or elimination of other animal around the livestock and making farms less attractive to wild animal. It should be noted that current vaccines are and can be rendered inactive due to viral mutations and adaption increase likelihood of humane infections.
The invention of the human vaccine for rabies has been effective in the vaccination of people in high-risk jobs, such as veterinarians, wildlife personnel, and animal control officers. Once a human has contracted the disease it is rare for human to human spread due to the virus’ inability to replicate effectively in the salivary glands of humans, although human-human spread has occurred. Theoretically humans could transmit the disease via a bite or non-bite exposure (eg kiss). Human-to-human transmission has occurred among eight recipients of transplanted corneas, in a number of countries, this was due to the donors unknowingly being previously infected with rabies. If treatment is given promptly after being exposed to or bitten by an animal that could have rabies, human illness can be prevented. Treatment consists of immediately wash the wound or exposed surface with soap and water, removal of contaminated clothing, and seed medical advice where adherences to hospital protocol is crucial therefore decreasing infection and further human-human spread.
Conclusion
The eradication of rabies virus in humans is possible if interaction with animals is highly regulated and documented. Regulation and documentation of animal interaction is very difficult especially with children, people that are constantly working with animals and in general people who love animals. With the increase in pollutions and decrease in a number of natural habitats there is going to be increase incidences of human-animal contact. Therefore if humans are educated on what to do when they are in close vicinity to a wild or domestic animal the prevalence of the rabies virus will decrease in human pollution and eventually it will be eradicated. If humans where not increasingly taking native habitats from these animals, the rabies virus would not be so common. So really humans like in many other cases are the problem in this equation.