World Rabies Day being observed today

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LONDON: World Rabies Day observed on the 28th of September every year is an attempt to spread the awareness about Rabies across the length and breadth of the World. This campaign talks about the anti-Rabies efforts. World Rabies Day works with a "One Medicine" approach, which aims at global Rabies control and prevention.

In the year 2006, Alliance For Rabies Control was created. It is a UK registered charity which was created to eradicate Rabies worldwide by creating awareness, control and prevention. Later in the year 2007, The World Rabies Day was inaugurated and is now followed globally. On the occasion of World Rabies Day, many events are held like educational seminars on Rabies, vaccination programs, marches etc.

With the start of World Rabies Day, many hidden facts surfaced. One of the most important findings was that every year 55 people die out of Rabies, which leads to an average of 10 deaths every minute.

Rabies is found in mammals both animals and human. It was generally believed that dogs are sensitive to Rabies but the recent studies have also shown Rabies cases in cats, bats, sheep, goats etc. The disease is generally more prevalent among domestic animals.

The Rabies virus first affects the nervous system through a wound, then travels to the brain and follows the nerve pathway to muscles and other organs. It is contagious and one can get in contact to the virus in various ways. The most common and unusual way is through breathing. US researchers have found out that breathing in the air in caves can be one of the common reasons. Caves are generally infested with bats and an infected bat may leave the virus in the air. Other ways are through saliva, scratch or cut by someone who is Rabies infected.