KUDOS!!! INDIAN ARMY(AFMC Guys...U make us proud once again....Jai Bharat. ************************ World Rabies Day- 28th September A rare case of Rabies survivor Army Docs achieve the Unachievable Indian Medical Fraternity has recently achieved another milestone when doctors at Chandimandir Command Hospital saved the life of a teenage rabies patient. There are only12 reported cases of rabies survivors in the world till date, and one reported from India, though unconfirmed reports of another two are available. This boy is the fourth one. The patient Heera Singh was admitted at Western Command´s Command Hospital in the first week of May in a critical comatose state. Col (Dr.) FMH Ahmad, the treating neurologist said that the boy was bitten by a stray dog on March 25th and was given four doses of anti-rabies vaccine when being treated at a private hospital. However, when his condition deteriorated, his parents shifted him to the Command Hospital. The patient´s evaluation was carried out with the expertise of Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC), Department of Virology ,Pune and National Institute of Mental Health & Neurological Sciences (NIMHANS), Department of Neurovirology, Bangalore using cutting edge molecular techniques. Two surgeries were also conducted. The boy was managed with the team of paramedical, nursing staff, departments of Intensive care, Medicine and ENT contributing with dedication and diligence. According to World Health Organisation (WHO) Rabies is a zoonotic disease. That means a disease transmitted from animals to humans. It is caused by a Lyssa virus. Transmission of the virus is achieved when the virus enters the body through wounds e.g. scratches or by direct contact with mucosal surface from a rabies infected animal bites. However it cannot cross intact skin. Mucosal refers to tissues that produce mucus, such as the digestive, genital and urinary tracts. There are two clinical manifestations of rabies furious and paralytic. Furious rabies is most common form of human rabies. It exhibit signs of hyperactivity, excited behaviour, hydrophobia and sometimes aerophobia. After a few days, death occurs by cardio-respiratory arrest. Paralytic rabies accounts for about 30% of the total number of human cases. This form of rabies runs a less dramatic and usually longer course than the furious form. The muscles gradually become paralyzed, starting at the site of the bite or scratch. A coma slowly develops, and eventually death occurs. The incubation period for rabies is typically 13 months, but may vary from more than 1 week to less than a year. The initial symptoms of rabies are fever and often pain or an unusual or unexplained tingling, pricking or burning sensation at the wound site. As the virus spreads through the central nervous system, progressive, fatal inflammation of the brain and spinal cord develops. Heera Singh falls under Paralytic category. But he is safe and will survive . Prof Madhusudana, the WHO expert on Rabies and co-author of the first Indian report on a Rabies survivor told AIR that the boy will survive for sure but with some paralytic complications. Dr Vivek Lal, Professor and Head of Neurology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research ( PGIMER), Chandigarh remarked after seeing Heera that I never imagined that I would ever get to see a rabies survivor in my lifetime. Joga Singh, a retired Havaldar from Indian Army and father of Heera says improvement is visible but his son is still unable to speak or eat properly. Col Ahmed said that the boy may remain partially paralytic but his condition will improve with the passage of time. This feared deadly disease known since antiquity is responsible for about 60,000 deaths yearly worldwide of which more than 30,000 are in India. It´s a disease of poor and vulnerable populations whose deaths are rarely reported. Although all age groups are susceptible, rabies is most common in children aged under 15. Children living in or visiting rabies-affected areas are at particular risk. World Health Organisation states that no tests are available to diagnose rabies infection in humans before the onset of clinical disease, and unless the rabies-specific signs of hydrophobia or aerophobia are present, the clinical diagnosis may be difficult. Anyone in continual, frequent or increased danger of exposure to rabies virus either by nature of their residence or occupation is also at risk. Travellers with extensive outdoor exposure in rural, high-risk areas where immediate access to appropriate medical care may be limited should be considered at risk regardless of the duration of their stay. Col. Ahmed says that the data from our country is a poor reflection of our rabies control program. Third world developing countries like Sri Lanka and Bangladesh lose patients in hundreds to this deadly but preventable disease as compared to thousands in our case. Since it´s a vaccine-preventable disease, the most cost-effective strategy for preventing rabies in people is by eliminating or controlling rabies in dogs through vaccination. Only thing required among masses is awareness about rabies and vaccine at government hospitals. WHO says that immediate wound cleansing and immunization within a few hours after contact with a suspected rabid animal is necessary followed by immediate Post Exposure Prophylaxis in the form of the vaccination. The vaccine can now be administered by the intradermal route which slashes costs to a fraction of the original. In the backdrop of the survival of Heera Singh, the need on this World Rabies Day, is to draw the attention of the Public Health authorities to this preventable loss of human lives, mostly in their prime. By Rajesh C. Bali, AIR Correspondent-Jalandhar ( newsonair/World-Rabies-Day.asp) ai harara
Posted on: Tue, 30 Sep 2014 16:45:20 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015