THAILAND TRAVEL NEWS: Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health has issued a warning for people to be careful around stray dogs (and other animals) as there is currently no rabies medication available.

Doctor Paijit Warachit, permanent secretary for public health, said many people believed rabies was only a concern during the summer months, but in fact rabies could be contracted all year.

He said that about 400,000 people receive rabies vaccine annually and warned any person who is bitten by an animal to quarantine it and observe if it has any symptoms. In any event a person bitten by a dog, monkey or cat should wash the wound with soapy water and seek medical treatment.

People bitten by an animal should also report the matter to authorities so that the animals history can be determined if possible.

While rabies is not a series problem in the kingdom, rabies should not be treated lightly and travelers should be careful around neighborhood dogs, cats and, in the forest areas, monkeys.

Dr Paijit said rabies can be contracted by people through bites, scratches or licks, with untreated people being ill for between four days to as long as four years – but most will live for less than one year.

In Western countries rabies is treated post-exposure by a post-exposure prophylaxis or PEP, which comprises shots of human rabies immunoglobulin (HRIG) and doses of rabies vaccine. It is generally advised that treatment should begin with 10 days of exposure.

The warning by Dr Paijit comes as Thailand heads into its tourism high-season and while travelers should head the warning and instructions on what to do if bitten, should not be overly-concerned as dog, cat and monkey bites are relatively rare occurrences in Thailand and a large scale rabies vaccination program has been underway in many regions for several years.

By John Le Fevre

Thailand Travel News for Dec 29, 2009