Essay About Rabies

I. INTRODUCTION

Rabies is a zoonotic viral disease and remains a public health problem in the Philippines. It is a disease of animals that can be transferred to humans through bites and scratches. 99% of cases around the world were contributed by dogs, however; other animals can also cause rabies. Some examples are rodents, guinea pigs, rabbits, and snakes. Africa and Asia have the most cases of this disease. Almost 55,000 deaths are reported yearly because of rabies. The virus responsible for this disease may spread to the brain and the peripheral nerves causing a swelling of the brain and the spinal cord.

Symptoms may include hyperactivity, nausea, convulsions, aerophobia, and fever. Unattended cases of rabies will eventually lead to death or cardiorespiratory arrest. Its medical and historical term is hydrophobia which means “fear of water.” It was termed this way because, in the later stages of the disease, patients have difficulty

IV. Prevalence

Rabies kills 50,000 humans in the world every year. Here in the Philippines, rabies is still considered as a serious health problem because at least 200-210 individuals die every year. 30-35% of them are 0-15 years old. This country is one of the top 10 countries with rabies problems. This disease is present in all countries except in Antarctica. Most of the people in the rural and underserved population are the target of this illness.

In this chart, it shows the effects on rabies vary by continent. It shows that Asia has the highest number of deaths. This case is due to a large number of stray dogs in many countries in Asia. In some cases, the infected individual didn’t have vaccination on time that leads to his/her death.

Southeast Asia: Although the rate has decreased all over the years, Philippines continue to be higher compared to the other countries in Southeast