Rabies is a deadly viral infection that affects your nerves and brain through your nerve pathways. The disease is transmitted through the saliva of infected animals. This usually happens through a bite, lick, or scratch. The advice is not to have contact with animals that live on the street. Rabies mainly occurs in dogs, cats, foxes, and bats.
Should you already worry if a stray cat gives you headbutts?
Van Gucht: “People are sometimes not aware of the risks of stray animals on vacation. Rabies has not disappeared in many regions. Think of countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and Latin America or the Baltic states and popular vacation countries such as Turkey and Morocco. A stray dog or cat can therefore carry the virus. We recently saw this in the United Kingdom: a woman there died of rabies after her vacation in Morocco after being scratched by a stray dog.”
“You only get rabies if an infected animal penetrates your skin: through a scratch or bite. But that is also possible if you have an open wound and, for example, a cat gives headbutts or a lick on that wound. The cat may have remnants of saliva with the virus in the skin. The advice is therefore really to stay away from stray animals, even if they are so cute and you want to feed them. Prevention is better than cure.”
What if you want to adopt a Moroccan stray dog?
Van Gucht: “Strict rules apply to the adoption of dogs and cats from outside the European Union to ensure that your adopted animal does not have rabies. For example, the animal must be chipped and vaccinated against rabies. You must also have a certificate from the veterinarian stating that the animal is in good health.”
“At least a month later, you must have a blood test done at an EU-certified laboratory. This will look for antibodies against rabies. Is the result good? Then your animal may enter the EU three months after the blood is drawn. All in all, you wait four months for EU approval and the animal will not cross the border before that time.”
When should you get vaccinated against rabies?
Wychgel: “That depends on where you are going, what you are going to do there, how old you are and how long you are staying abroad. At the National Coordination Center for Travelers Advice (LCR) you can see per country whether there is rabies at your holiday destination. If this is the case, you can get a shot in consultation with your doctor or GGD. Vaccination is not always free.”
How do you know if you may have rabies and how do you see that in animals?
Van Gucht: “It is not always clear whether you have had contact with an infected animal. Some infected animals are aggressive, but others seek contact with people. It can take about twenty days to a year before you become ill.”
“Rabies often starts with complaints such as tingling and itching at the place where you have been scratched or bitten. In the days that follow, you will soon experience chills, fever, vomiting and headache. Then you may suffer from muscle cramps, convulsions, paralysis and problems with swallowing or breathing. Drooling is also a typical symptom.”
“That is the venomous thing about rabies: from the moment you get symptoms, the chance that you will survive an infection is very small. It is therefore important to be vaccinated before departure and that you clean your wound immediately after a bite, scratch or lick of an animal to prevent the rabies virus from spreading in your body.”
“If you have suffered a wound from a potentially infected animal, you should clean the wound with soap and water for about fifteen minutes. After that, it is wise to disinfect the wound with alcohol or iodine.”
“Always contact a doctor immediately. Preferably within 24 hours, even if you have already been vaccinated. They can assess whether you are infected and decide to treat you preventively. If you were not aware of a possible infection, you can still receive treatment in the days that follow – as long as you have no symptoms. Such a treatment against rabies consists of four vaccinations, possibly supplemented with antibodies.”
What about your health insurance if you think you have contracted rabies abroad?
Wychgel: “That depends entirely on your insurance. The advice is to check this before departure and contact your insurer.”
What about rabies in the Netherlands?
Wychgel: “Rabies caused by wild animals does not actually occur in the Netherlands. Since 1962, there have been eight people with rabies and they had all contracted the disease abroad. There has not been a single suspicion of rabies in a Dutch person this year.”
“There is a type of virus in bats in the Netherlands that resembles the rabies virus: the EBL virus. But that is less contagious and almost never passes to people, unless you have been bitten by an infected bat. No one in the Netherlands has ever become ill from a bat. That also happens very rarely in the rest of Europe.”
Van Gucht: “And do you have a dead bat in your garden or house? Then don’t touch it either. Always wear plastic gloves or use a dustpan and brush.”