What should you do if you are injured by an animal? Choose different vaccines for different situations

"Do I need to get a rabies vaccine if I'm bitten by a white rabbit?" "Do I need to get a hemorrhagic fever vaccine if I'm bitten by a mouse?" "Do I need to get a rabies vaccine if I'm scratched by a dog?" Recently, Chao News Qianbao Health Station and Hangzhou Shangcheng District Nanxing Street Community Health Service Center have received many inquiries from the public. What should you do after being bitten by an animal? Shi Zhaoyu, a doctor in the Epidemic Prevention Department, explains.

How to deal with animal bites and scratches

Shi Zhaoyu pointed out that no matter what kind of animal causes the injury, it is important to take it seriously, treat the wound in a timely manner, and go to a professional medical institution for standardized treatment. Animal injuries can not only spread rabies, but may also cause wound infection and spread other diseases.

Step 1: Wound irrigation

Use soapy water or other weak alkaline cleaning agents and running water to alternately clean bites and scratches for at least 15 minutes. Finally, rinse the wound with saline to avoid soap or other cleaning agent residues.

Step 2: Disinfection

After thorough rinsing, use diluted iodine tincture, benzalkonium chloride and other skin and mucous membrane disinfectants to disinfect or disinfect the inside of the wound. You can cover the wound with clean gauze, and avoid sucking the wound with your mouth.

Step 3: Seek medical attention immediately if necessary

Medical staff will make further treatments based on the exposure of the wound and decide whether to give the vaccine.

When is rabies vaccination necessary?

1. Need to be vaccinated: Rabies vaccine is required for bites or scratches from dogs, cats, wild/stray carnivorous mammals such as wolves, foxes, badgers, bats, etc.

2. No need for vaccination: Rabies vaccination is not required if you are bitten or scratched by birds, fish, turtles, snakes, insects, or lizards.

How to tell if you are infected with rabies

1. Observe the behavior of animals infected with rabies virus

1. In the early stage, symptoms include lack of energy, fear of sunlight, increased saliva and difficulty swallowing.

2. After entering the excitement period, it will become anxious and violent and will actively attack other creatures.

3. In the later stage, the patient will become weak and depressed, with drooling from the chin. However, the patient will become manic and restless with the slightest external stimulation, and may even bite and self-harm.

4. Finally, the animal will become paralyzed, lie on the ground and twitch until death. If you are bitten or scratched by an animal with such symptoms, you should pay close attention.

2. Observe whether the person has symptoms

Rabies is difficult to detect during the incubation period and is likely to be confused with other diseases and can only be detected during the outbreak period.

3. Main manifestations of rabies

1. In the early stage (lasting 2-4 days), the wound will feel numb and itchy, accompanied by low fever, headache, loss of appetite and other cold-like reactions, and then you may become sensitive to sunlight and sound.

2. During the excitement period (lasting 1-3 days), the patient will gradually enter a highly excited state, showing extreme fear of water and wind, as well as symptoms such as convulsions, difficulty breathing, sweating and drooling.

3. During the paralysis period (lasting 6-18 hours), the patient gradually regains calm and develops symptoms such as limb paralysis, squinting eyes, inability to close the mouth, and expressionless face.

4. When the disease develops to the middle and late stages, it becomes extremely difficult to cure, so correct treatment must be taken as soon as possible after being bitten by an animal.