rabies It is a rare but fatal virus infection that affects the brain and the nervous system. In the UK, rabies are extremely rare, but infections are at risk to travelers who visit areas where diseases are widely spread.
In general, it is transmitted through the bite or scratches of infected animals. Dogs are the most common carriers, but they can be found in cats, bats, monkeys and other mammals. There is no documentation of human transmission of rabies. It is almost deadly if symptoms occur after an infected person is exposed.
Preparation for overseas travel
If you are traveling to a country with rabies, it is important to know how to prevent infection and what action you will take after potential exposure. There is there Information on Travel Health Pro website for countries affected by rabies And when you need to consider rabies before your trip.
Symptoms
Symptoms of rabies generally appear within 3-12 weeks (usually animal bumps or scratches) after exposure. But this timeline can be different. The initial signs can be nonspecific and include heat, headaches and discomfort in the bite area.
As infection progresses, more serious symptoms, including confusion, muscle spasms, and difficulty in swallowing.
Prevention of rabies while traveling
Prevention is important in a country where rabies, especially in Asia, Africa and central and South America, are important. Travelers should consider these preventive measures.
- Contact your travel health expert before your trip. Check that pre -exposure vaccination is recommended for your destination and planned activities.
- Vaccination is especially important if you stay for more than a month, participate in outdoor activities, or travel to an area where you can use medical services.
- Overseas, they reduce the risk of exposure by avoiding contact with animals, including dogs, cats and other wild animals. Infected animals do not always show obvious symptoms of the disease. It is important to avoid touching animals to children and tell them about water or scratches.
Responses potential exposure
If you are licked by an animal in a country with rabies, scratched or broken skin, perform the following immediate steps:
- Wash the wounds with a lot of soap and water for a few minutes. This simple measurement can greatly reduce the risk of infection.
- Even if you are vaccinated, you will receive local medical treatment without delay. Do not wait until you return to England. After exposure, treatment is very effective when administering immediately before the symptoms develop.
- If you return to England even if you are treated abroad or have been exposed a few weeks ago, please contact the GP. You may need to continue the rabies vaccine process. If there is a record given, bring this with you. Your GP hasn’t begun while you’re abroad, but you can prepare for treatment after exposure if you are considered to have a UKHSA.
In the UK, there are no rabies of the animal population, but in some bats in the UK, a virus was found. If you are bitten by a bat in the UK, please contact your doctor immediately for the possibility of evaluation and vaccination.
Vaccine effect
The overall process of pre -exposure rabies vaccines will provide good protection from rabies to most people. Those who have completed the vaccine process before the exposure of rabies a year ago can have a single booster capacity for those who travel back to areas with a high risk of rabies.
However, it is still important to seek medical advice if it is bite, scratched or scratched by an overseas animal. If you have a whole process of pre -exposed vaccines a few years before your trip, you only need two additional rabies vaccines after exposure, and you don’t need immunoglobulin.
Once symptoms occur, there is no effective treatment, and the disease is generally fatal, so it is really important to receive medical treatment as soon as possible.
British rabies
Since 1902, the United Kingdom has no rabies in animals other than bats, making domestic infections extremely rare.
Some British bats can carry European bat Lisa virus (EBLV), the same virus, such as rabies that led to the death of a professional bat processor that had been watered several times in Scotland in 2002. Most of the case of human rabies reported in the UK are acquired from abroad and six cases are recorded between 2000 and 2024.
