Essential
- About 500 people were exposed to the rabies virus in the United States.
- They slept in bats infested with bats in the Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming.
- Rage is a fatal disease, transmitted by the saliva of infected animals.
Housing colonized by bats. In the state of Wyoming in the United States, health authorities are looking to contact around 500 people: all have stayed in cabins in the Grand Teton National Park. On July 27, park officials discovered the presence of bats. These animals can transmit the rabies virus.
People potentially infected with rabies because of bats
Tests were carried out on batties found, none was positive for rage. “”But the handful of bats found dead and sent to the veterinary laboratory of the state of Wyoming to Laramie for tests were probably only a small sample of the probable dozens who colonized the attic above the row of cabins “alerts Dr. Alexia Harrist, Wyoming State Health Agent, in an interview with Associated Press. According to park officials, animals can live in colonies of 30 to 100 individuals.
Bat: bites can remain unnoticed
“What really concerns us are the people who saw bats in their rooms and the people who could have had direct contact with a bat “continues Dr. Harrist. A bite or a scratch can go unnoticed when they occur while a person sleeps. It is thus recommended to the people concerned, such as those who have seen a bat in their room during their stay, to take prophylactic treatment. The latter prevents the first symptoms in the event of exposure to the rabies virus. But prevention mainly involves vaccination of domestic animals.
Rage: the disease is always deadly
Rage is generally transmitted by contact with the saliva of a contaminated animal, in case of bite, scratch or licking. The virus attacks the nervous system, from which it alters the functioning. “”It does not cause physically visible lesions in the brain, but disrupts neurons, in particular the autonomous nervous system which controls heart activity or breathing “warns the Pasteur Institute.
People affected by the disease may suffer from agitation, anxiety, heart rate disorders or hypersalivation. “”Apart from a few cases of survival described in children, the outcome is still fatal when the disease is declared “alerts the Institut Pasteur. After the first symptoms, it evolves quickly, in a few hours or a few days, to a coma. Each year, nearly 60,000 people die from rage worldwide.
