Can rabies virus survive in the air?

Rabies is a very scary disease and is very common in life. It is very harmful to humans and animals because rabies is almost incurable and the mortality rate is close to 100%. Rabies is also a contagious disease. There are few ways of transmission for patients infected by the rabies virus. Generally, there is a chance of infection only through contact. Let's take a look at whether the rabies virus can survive in the air.

1. Manage the source of infection

Vaccinate domestic animals and manage stray animals. For animals suspected of dying of rabies, their brain tissue should be removed for examination and burned or buried deeply. They must not be skinned or eaten.

After being bitten or scratched by an animal, the wound should be immediately rinsed repeatedly with 20% soapy water. Deep wounds require a catheter to be inserted and soapy water to be continuously irrigated and cleaned, in an effort to remove dog saliva and squeeze out dirty blood. Generally, the wound is not sutured or bandaged. Antibacterial drugs are used when necessary. If the wound is deep, tetanus antitoxin is also used.

3. Get rabies vaccine

Vaccination has definite value in preventing disease, including active immunization and passive immunization. Once a person is bitten, vaccination is crucial, and in severe cases, rabies serum injection is also required.

① Post-exposure vaccination

Generally, the bitten person should be given one shot of rabies vaccine on day 0 (1st day, the same day), day 3 (4th day, and so on), day 7, day 14, and day 28, for a total of 5 shots. The dose is the same for adults and children. For those who are severely bitten (bitten on the head, face, neck, fingers, or multiple parts of the body, or if the bites or licks touch the mucous membranes), in addition to injecting rabies vaccine as described above, double the dose should be injected on days 0 and 3.

② Pre-exposure vaccination

For healthy people who have not been bitten, rabies vaccination can be given three times on days 0, 7 and 28, with a booster shot one year later and then again every 1 to 3 years.