Rabies causes fear of water is considered as one of the severe symptoms in Rabies. However, scientifically, how could it be so?
Rabies or also known as hydrophobia, lysa, and rage is an infectious disease caused by a rabies virus that attacks parts of the central nervous system. Apparently, this virus is generally found in the saliva of animals that have been infected and spread through bites, scratches, or scratches that enter the human body. Animals that are often caught by this virus include dogs, foxes, wolves, cats, bats and monkeys. One of the symptoms of Rabies in humans is that Rabies causes fear of water. In other words, people with Rabies are considered as a hydrophobic. What makes them fear of water exactly?
Why Rabies causes fear of water?
One of Rabies severe symptoms is that Rabies causes fear of water. Rabies, in fact, doesn’t cause fear of water. Hydrophobia in Rabies is caused by extreme pain in the patient when swallowing fluids, including water and saliva. For that matter, rabies does not cause fear of water because fear of something which causes the body to feel pain is a natural thing to happen, including in Rabies sufferers. This is also why animals with Rabies will be often seen drooling heavily from their mouths.
Then why swallowing fluids can be painful for Rabies sufferers?
As a matter of fact, Rabies will make the muscles paralyzed sooner or later. The pain that the sufferers feel when swallowing fluids, including saliva, is due to the inability of the muscles responsible to control swallowing.
In addition, Rabies can develop so quickly which can lead patients to die in just a few days. Therefore, it is very important to see a doctor immediately after being bitten by certain animals. You can book a doctor through Medi-Call Application to get Rabies vaccine and have a better treatment at Medi-Call. Medi-Call is always ready to come to your location.
Knowing more about Rabies
Rabies is a disease that is transmitted from animals to humans caused by viruses. The virus (lyssaviruses) has been proven to persist in the body for several weeks, or even up to 3 months, before finally infecting the patient’s body. If rabies is not treated until a certain time the virus transmitted by the animal will attack the nervous system and brain. However, Rabies can be prevented by giving pet vaccination, protecting pets from contact with wild animals, avoiding to bother or disturb dogs while they’re sleeping, eating, chewing, barking, or growling.
In Indonesia, an estimated minimum of 100 cases have been reported each year. As a matter of fact, travelers in Bali might be at high risk of suffering from Rabies as there are several districts in Bali called as a red zone for Rabies. If you are going to an area affected by a rabies outbreak or have a job in contact with animals that might be infected, get immunization at Medi-Call for prevention or simply you can contact at Medi-Call Call Center.
Moreover, Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations found that there are more than 59,000 people die from rabies worldwide every year. Rabies attacks the most in Africa and Asia. This disease is predicted to cause 55,000 deaths every year. Around 56% of these diseases attack in Asia and 44% in Africa.
What are the symptoms of Rabies in humans?
Rabies usually appears around 4-12 weeks after the patient got bitten. In early symptoms, the condition can last for 2 to 10 days. The early symptoms include:
- Fever reaches 38 degrees celcius or more
- Headache
- Worry too much
- Feeling not healthy overall
- Sore throat
- Cough
- Nausea and vomiting
- Loss of appetite
- Pain in bitten area
Over time, the symptoms will get worse if it hasn’t been treated immediately. There are severe symptoms that can appear in people with rabies. These symptoms are a sign that the patient’s condition is getting worse. Sufferers begin to experience acute nervous system disorders, such as:
- Feeling confused and restless
- More aggressive and hyperactive
- Sometimes it goes through a quiet period
- Muscle cramps and paralysis may occur
- Excessive breathing (hyperventilation), sometimes difficulty breathing
- Produce more saliva
- Rabies causes fear of water (hydrophobia)
- Trouble in swallowing
- Hallucinating, having bad dreams, and insomnia
- Permanent erection in men
- Fear of light (photophobia)
If those symptoms haven’t been treated immediately, patients can lose their lives due to complications in heart and respiratory organs.