By Matt Kelly

No increase in provincial rabies seen in Prairie North Region

Jul 21, 2016 | 2:34 PM

Rabies cases have doubled in Saskatchewan this year and warnings have been issued about humans and animals contracting the virus.

Medical Health Officer for the Prairie North Health Region Dr. Mandiangu Nsungu said luckily the region hasn’t had to deal with a human case of rabies.

“We have been successful in preventing those cases. Fortunately we have not had a case of rabies in humans,” Nsungu said.

The Ministry of Agriculture is reminding residents rabies is present in the province after several cases were recently detected. There have been 18 confirmed cases from January 1 to July 13 of this year, compared to nine in the same period in 2015 and seven in 2014. None of the 2016 cases have come from the Prairie North Health Region. In a release, the ministry says the best defence against rabies in animals is vaccination.

Nsungu said an increased number of animal rabies cases mean an increased threat to humans.

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“This is a concern for us because we know that rabies is fatal in most cases. So once somebody gets rabies we are almost certain death will be the result,” Nsungu said.

In humans, rabies is nearly always fatal once clinical signs of the disease appear. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fewer than 10 documented cases of human clinical rabies survival have been reported.

If a person is bit by an animal believed to have rabies, Nsungu said it is very important to get the bite looked at as soon as possible by a doctor who will be able to test for the disease and provide medication, including the rabies vaccine.

“That’s a very important step because if there is rabies in the animals that bit somebody and if we miss this very important stage of prevention, there is no medication to treat the rabies,” Nsungu explained.

In addition, the proper authorities should be notified of the bite so the animal can be captured if needed and isolated for observation and testing.

Symptoms of rabies in an animal include wild animals losing their fear of humans, paralysis of the face and neck and increased aggressiveness.

The first symptoms in humans appear flu-like with discomfort at the bite mark. When rabies progresses in humans, it can cause delirium, abnormal behavior, hallucinations and insomnia.

Matt Kelly is battlefordsNOW’s town municipal affairs and community reporter. He can be reached at mkelly@jpbg.ca.