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| Beijingers Queue for Rabies Vaccinations During Holiday |
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Enjoying time at home and playing with a pet have its price -- people bitten by dogs and needing rabies vaccines in
The Peking University People's Hospital received more than 200 people for rabies vaccinations on Wednesday and Thursday. Queues were seen outside the vaccination room. From Sunday to Wednesday, the The daily injection rate was 20 percent higher than normal, said a doctor surnamed Su with the Most people were adults who played with their dogs at home and some were bitten in their sleep, according to the Beijing Morning Post. An old woman interviewed by the paper said she was bitten during a dog fight in a lift. Some people were bitten by unchained dogs taken for a walk by neighbors. In Wangjing and Tiantong residential compounds in northern Rabies, often spread by dog bites, attacks the nervous system and is fatal in humans if not treated prior to the onset of symptoms. The virus can infect people through bites and scratches no matter how serious the injury. People bitten or injured must wash the wound with water containing 20 percent of soap for 20 minutes and go to hospital immediately, said doctor Zhang Haicheng with the People's Hospital. Instant vaccination was needed not only for dog, but also for cat, bat and other wild animal bites, despite previous vaccinations, said another doctor Wang Chuanlin. Five consecutive injections were needed in every case, warned doctors. Every year, more than 50,000 people around the world die of the disease, with most of them in developing countries. The incidence of rabies has been rising throughout the country this year, official figures have shown. The number of vaccinations in The health ministry reported 1,874 rabies cases, including 1,735 deaths, in the country during the first eight months, up 29.2 percent over the same period last year. The ministry's website shows that 2,660 people died from rabies in 2004, while in 1996 there were only 159 reported fatalities. Rabies was the second most common deadly infectious disease after tuberculosis last year, accounting for 19 percent of the total deaths. Experts say pet owners who abandon their dogs are mainly responsible for the increase in the disease as stray dogs that have not been vaccinated are most likely to contract rabies. To curb rising rabies cases, local governments have tried various measures. In The Dog owners in Their dogs may be confiscated and they may be fined up to 5,000 yuan (US$625) if they keep a dog without a permit, fail to carry out annual health checks on their pets, keep big dogs in downtown areas, have more than one dog at one home or take them to places where dogs are not permitted. The health ministry would also strengthen prevention of rabies in rural areas, where dogs are not widely vaccinated and medical treatment for people is inadequate, said vice Health Minister Jiang Zuojun. (Xinhua News Agency October 7, 2006) |
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