28/09/2026
🦠 What exactly is rabies?
Rabies is a viral disease that attacks the nervous system of mammals, including dogs, cats, livestock, wildlife, and humans. Once clinical symptoms appear, rabies is virtually 100% fatal, but it is preventable through vaccination and prompt medical care after exposure.
🐕 How do dogs and cats get rabies?
The virus is mainly transmitted through the saliva of an infected animal. The most common route is when an infected animal bites another animal.
For example:
Infected animal → bite → saliva enters wound → virus enters the body → nervous system → rabies develops.
It can also happen when saliva from an infected animal gets into:
* An open wound or broken skin
* The eyes
* The mouth or other mucous membranes
* Certain scratches where infected saliva contaminates the injury.
Dogs are particularly important because they account for up to 99% of human rabies transmission globally. Cats and other mammals can also contract and transmit rabies.
⚠️ Something important people get wrong
You don’t have to see a dog foaming at the mouth before taking a bite seriously.
An infected animal can have rabies virus in its saliva even before obvious clinical signs appear. That’s why a bite or suspicious scratch should not be ignored simply because the animal looks normal.
💉 Why vaccination matters
Vaccinating dogs and cats helps protect the pet, the owner, and the wider community. WHO identifies dog vaccination as a key and cost-effective way of preventing human rabies.
And if someone is bitten or scratched by a potentially rabid animal, don’t wait for symptoms. The wound should be washed thoroughly with soap and running water for about 15 minutes, and the person should seek medical care promptly for assessment and post-exposure treatment.
