Dutch research on rabies worldwide

lead - The Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) and the Eurocross emergency center are going to investigate rabies or rabies. In the Netherlands, the disease is rare, but around 60,000 people die every year from infection with the virus that is transmitted via bites from dogs, cats, bats and monkeys.

Last year the number of reports of rabies was 60 percent higher than in 2016. In that year, Eurocross received remarkably many reports of rabies after a bite by a dog or a monkey. If you travel in an area where rabies occurs, it is wise not to touch, stroke or feed any animals.

Most reports come from Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam. 'Fortunately, we rarely see rabies in the Netherlands,' according to Professor of Travel Medicine Leo Visser. ' But the Dutch traveler is often too little aware of the danger of bite injuries while traveling and must therefore be well informed. ''

The research of LUMC and Eurocross focuses on the causes of rabies contamination, the types of injections that are given, whether these drugs are easily available and what they cost. Fever, headache and nausea are the first symptoms, a stiff neck and paralysis are symptoms at a later stage.

The number of people admitted to the hospital with rabies in the Netherlands since the sixties can be counted on the fingers of two hands. The RIVM advises: If you were bitten or scratched by a bat, the wound was at least five minutes with soap and water. Call a doctor because the sooner the treatment starts, the greater the chance of healing.

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