If a person notices an unusual behaviour in an animal, the case should be reported either to the local mayor, to the veterinarian, or it is necessary to call the National Food Safety Agency. If, however, the person has been bitten, one must clean the wound with plenty of soap and water to reduce the risk of an infection and seek medical care immediately. At the same time, in such a case it is necessary to inform the ANSA territorial subdivision. These recommendations have been made by specialists of the Agency during the activities organized in the capital on Saturday, September 28, on the occasion of the World Rabies Day, IPN reports.
According to experts, rabies is a deadly zoonosis caused by a virus that attacks the nervous system. The virus is secreted in saliva and is transmitted to animals and humans through the bite of an infected animal. Rabies can be transmitted when the saliva of an affected animal comes in contact with open wounds on the skin or with the eyes, nose or mouth of a person or animal. Clinically, it manifests as acute encephalomyelitis and, once the visible symptoms of the disease appear, rabies is almost always fatal.
To prevent rabies, it is recommended that pets be vaccinated against rabies. Pets should not be allowed to roam. Children should be taught to never touch unknown animals, even if they seem friendly. A wild animal must be observed at a distance. Sick animals can become quite tender.
Within the framework of this event organized by ANSA and the National Agency for Public Health (ANSP) in the Square of Europe, information activities and veterinary consultations have been held. There was also a master class entitled: "What to do if you have been bitten by an animal".
According to ANSP data, in the last years the epizootological situation regarding rabies in Moldova remains quite tense, being caused, to a large extent, by the failure to carry out activities of reducing the number of foxes and stray dogs, which are the main sources of the infection. In 2018, rabies was recorded in 53 animals, and in the first six months of this year, rabies was diagnosed in 23 animals. This year a case of human rabies occurred in a child from Chisinau. The child could not be saved.
