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Tularemia Diseases

Tularemia is a disease that is carried by many wild animals. Human infections occur most frequently through contact with rabbits and hares. Sportsmen and hunters would be wise to use rubber gloves while skinning and dressing wild game.

Many different animals are found to be infected with tularemia. The disease is sometimes transmitted by insects which bite these animals and then bite human beings shortly afterward.

Mountain streams are sometimes contaminated with these germs as well. Those who drink the polluted water may contract the disease. But the chief source of human infection is through the handling of rabbits. The germs may enter through cuts on the hands and other parts of the body. Improperly cooked rabbit meat is another way the disease spreads among the public in general.

Symptoms of Tularemia: In a typical case of tularemia, there is a sudden onset of illness, with high fever, headache, vomiting, chills, and a general aching in the muscles. This is followed by weakness, prostration, heavy sweating, and delirium. The disease usually lasts two or three weeks. There may be punched-out ulcers on the skin and painful swellings in the groins and under the arms. If the individual has rubbed his eyes with contaminated fingers, there may be severe itching and inflammation of the lids, lasting for weeks.

Sometimes the patient develops pneumonia and has a dry, hacking cough. The disease may resemble a prolonged type of influenza, undulant fever, or typhoid. The best medicine for tularemia is streptomycin. Hot, moist applications can be applied to the swollen skin. But the person who is giving the treatment must take precautions not to become infected with the disease. Eventually some type of vaccination will be developed that will give protection against this disease. Meanwhile, sportsmen and butchers should wear rubber gloves while handling animals that may be infected. Thorough cooking is the only way to kill the germs that may be present in the meat. But for complete protection it is better not to eat rabbit meat at all.

 

Diseases Carried by Rabies

Rabies is an extremely serious disease caused by the bite of a rabid animal. Dogs are the usual animals involved, although many different wild animals are also subject to rabies. The disease may even be carried by bats. For centuries people have been horrified at the very thought of rabies, or

Hydrophobia. Even now we are still helpless in actually treating the disease once it has gained control of the patient’s nervous system. The only way to fight this dread infection is to block it off before it reaches the central nervous system. This is done by powerful injections.

Very few dogs ever have rabies. And of these only a small number of the people they may bite are likely to develop rabies. It is the uncertainty, the long waiting period of weeks and perhaps months, that makes this disease so terrifying. The virus that causes rabies is present in the saliva of the infected animal. It is transmitted when the rabid animal bites or licks another animal or human being. Bites on the face and neck are very serious. They are more likely to result in the fully developed disease, unless it is properly treated.

 

Wild Animals Often Carry Rabies Diseases

Many different animals may carry rabies. These include dogs, foxes, skunks, wolves, bats, and even cows and cats. But in cities it is the dog that is most feared. The rabid animal may attack a small child who is totally unable to defend himself. Because of this, he is more likely to be bitten on the face, and the lacerations may be very deep.

City authorities now are demanding that all dogs be vaccinated against rabies. This is only fair. It is practically a painless procedure. It protects the dog against the disease and prevents him from passing the disease on to any human being.

Treatment of Rabies: The first thing to do for a person who has been bitten by a dog or other animal suspected of having rabies is to thoroughly wash the area with soap and water for at least fifteen minutes. The rabid dog’s saliva carries the deadly virus, but soap and water will combat it. Some strong antiseptic solution may then be applied. Go at once to your doctor for further care. He may want to give you the full series of injections against rabies. This decision must be left up to your doctor, who will be guided by the advice of the best public health authorities.

Do not kill the dog! This is most important. The local officials will want to keep the animal penned up for several weeks to watch for signs of rabies. If the disease develops in the dog, special examinations of the animal’s tissues must be carried out. All of this is for your own protection.

Be thankful that you live in an age when medical science has found ways to combat this terrible disease. Do not delay in taking the proper course of treatment. The injections must be started at once. They help to ward off the virus as it slowly makes its way to the brain. Therefore the sooner the treatment is started, the better the chances of the person who has been bitten. If the dog does not have rabies, you may relax and forget all about the unfortunate episode. But be sure to keep the animal under constant observation as long as your doctor may advise.

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