White Pine news weekly mining review. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1910-1920, 1916-02-20
PREVENTION OF RABIES II
PEOPLE.
Ways In Which Persons May he In
fected with the Virus-Meas-
ures of Protection.
BY DR.. r. H. MULLIN


Rabies is a disease which may be
spread to people from the lower ami
mails. The method is usually by bit
ing. 1t is known that the virus or in
fictitious agent is contained in the
saliva of the animal suffering from
the disease. Any person who gets
the saliva or slobbers of such an ami
NAL into his body runs the risk of
becoming himself infected. This
tr%ansference of the saliva may oc-
cur either through a bite or through
getting it into a fresh, open wound,
no matter how small that wound may
be. All methods for the prevention
of the disease in the human are based
upon efforts to prevent the transfer
ence of this saliva from a rabid ami
NAL to the human.
The problem varies according to
the locality. In cities the infected
animal is usually a household pet,
either dog or cat. On the range or
on the ranch, to the danger of these
household pets. is added the posi-
bility of infection from stock and
wild animals, such as the coyote and
bob-cat. Those people who live on
the range or on farms have, there
fore several factors to control if
they are to escape infection. In the
spread of the disease by the coyote,
stock are more apt to get the dis
ease, inasmuch as people can usually
protect themselves, unless perchance
they are attacked while asleep. The
chief danger TO people is through pet
animals and from stock. But 1t must
be remembered that in skinning coy
otes and other wild animals for their
pelts, great care should be taken to
prevent the saliva from getting on
the hands. People on farms fire.
Quently have wounds on their hands
that are unnoticed. Practical pre-
vention is to wear i%mpervious gloves,
preferably of rubber.
The danger of stock injecting the
human lies in the fa& that frequently
the symptoms of rabies are mistaken
for those of other diseases. The ami
mails may appear constipated or suf-
fering from a chill. In administer
ing medicine to combat these condi-
tons, the hands may be put into their
mouths. Sometimes one will put his
hand into the mouth of the animal
to see II it is cold when IL is thought
to be suffering from a chill. Some
times a dog will act as though 1t had
a bone in his throat and attempts
will be made to extract it.. 1t should
be remembered that in a country
where rabies Is frequent all these
procedures are dangerous, inasmuch
as the possibility of the symptoms
being those of rabies is very great.
The motto should be. Keep your
hands and fingers out of animals
mouths.
In those portions of the state where
the disease has already appeared, any
pet animal that is known or sus
pected of having been fighting with
a coyote, should be Immediately shot
No new dogs or cats should be al
lowed on the premises unless the,
have been q~uarantined for a period
of at least six months. There is only
n method of controlling the dog
that will surely protect its owner and
his family from possible infection
Keep 1t securely and adequately muz.
zled until the prevalence of the dis
ease has been very considerably di-
minished or is entirely eliminated
Muzzles OF this kind are easy TO get
are not uncomfortable to the dog
and through them 1t is possible Il
feed and water the dog without re.
moving the muzzle. The danger Ii
not entirely through the owners dos
alone, but also through the neigh
boris dog. 1t is definitely known thai
one of the symptoms of the disease
in dogs is a tendency to wander Oh
run over very considerable distances
1t is therefore not only necessar,
that the owners dog be muzzltd, but
that his neighbours dog be muzzled
Other restrictive a on dog.
are useful, such as combining them t.
the owners premises, keeping them
upon a leash, or securely tied with
a chain, but none of these, however
to the exclusion of muzzling will
guarantee freedom from the danger
of infection.
There are two points that are very
essential In the treatment Of the dis
ease; first, the soone the individual
begins TO take treatment after beinf
exposed to infection. the greater l!
the probability that the treatment will
be successful; second, where an indi