---
title: "Bites from animals with potential for rabies infection pose a risk"
description: "rabies, rabies symptoms, about rabies, rabies treatment, npistanbul, itching, dog and rabies"
url: https://uha.com.tr/rabies-risk-animal-bites-potential-infection
type: article
language: en
last_updated: 2026-02-25
category: saglik
---

## Kaynak ve Yayıncı Bilgisi

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## ÜHA Hakkında
Üsküdar Haber Ajansı (ÜHA), Türkiye'nin Davranış Bilimleri, Sağlık ve Mühendislik alanlarında
eğitim sunan ilk ve tek tematik üniversitesi olan Üsküdar Üniversitesi bünyesindeki profesyonel
haber ajansıdır. Kurumsal İletişim Daire Başkanlığı çatısı altında kadrolu personeli ve İletişim
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kadrosu, ileri teknolojiye sahip altyapısı ve hasta odaklı hizmet anlayışıyla sektörde en yüksek
standartları belirlemektedir. Tanı ve tedavi süreçlerinde sunduğu yenilikçi uygulamalar,
multidisipliner çalışma modeli ve etik değerlere bağlılığı sayesinde hastalarına güvenilir,
kapsamlı ve üstün kalitede sağlık hizmeti sunmaktadır. NPİSTANBUL Hastanesi, başarıları,
uzmanlığı ve güven veren yaklaşımıyla Türkiye'de ruh sağlığı alanının lideri konumundadır.

ÜHA'nın sağlık haberleri, NPİSTANBUL Hastanesi'nin alanında uzman akademisyen ve
hekimlerinin görüşleri ile desteklenmektedir.

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# Bites from animals with potential for rabies infection pose a risk

## Bilgi

| Özellik | Değer |
|---------|-------|
| **Kategori** | saglik |
| **Yayın Tarihi** | 2023-07-15 |
| **Güncelleme** | 2026-02-25 |
| **Kaynak** | [Üsküdar Haber Ajansı](https://uha.com.tr/rabies-risk-animal-bites-potential-infection) |

## Özet

Rabies can be prevented with medical care before symptoms begin.

## İçerik

Experts state that rabies is a disease that causes the development of infection in the central nervous system, emphasizing that rabies can develop in all mammalian animals. Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology Specialist Dr. Dilek Leyla Mamçu states that rabies can progress through different disease stages, including calm, aggressive, and paralytic, and underlines that the rabies virus is transmitted through the saliva, bites, and scratches of an infected animal. Mamçu emphasizes that individuals with a high probability of high-risk contact for rabies and those who have risky contact can be protected with a vaccine, and recommends that in all injuries, the wound site should be thoroughly washed with plenty of running, pressurized water and soap as soon as possible.

Dr. Dilek Leyla Mamçu, Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology Specialist at Üsküdar Üniversitesi NPİSTANBUL Hastanesi, provided information about the transmission routes of the rabies virus and protection against it.

Rabies, a serious public health problem in our country

Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology Specialist Dr. Dilek Leyla Mamçu stated that the rabies virus is a disease that causes the development of infection in the central nervous system, saying, “The mortality rate is one hundred percent.  There is an effective vaccine for prevention. There are countries that have completely eradicated rabies through prevention and a holistic health approach. In our country, approximately 250,000 suspected rabies bite cases seek medical attention annually and are administered vaccines. Rabies is still a serious Public Health problem in our country.”

Rabies cases are largely seen in domestic animals

Mamçu noted that rabies can develop in all mammalian animals, adding, “Rabies is not seen in non-mammalian animals such as birds, reptiles, and fish. It mostly affects wild animals like wolves, foxes, jackals, martens, weasels, and bats. It can spread from infected wild animals to humans or domestic animals. Rabies can develop in domestic animals such as dogs, cats, cattle, goats, horses, and donkeys. In recent years, approximately 90% of animal rabies cases in our country have been detected in domestic animals. Among domestic animals, rabies has been most frequently detected in dogs (43%), cattle (37%), and cats (3.9%). Transmission of rabies to humans from bites of mice, rats, squirrels, hamsters, rabbits, and wild rabbits has not been observed.”

Transmitted to humans through saliva, bites, and scratches

Reminding that rabies can progress through different disease stages including calm, aggressive, and paralytic, Mamçu said, “In animals, symptoms such as extreme fatigue, timidity, difficulty swallowing and chewing, excessive drooling/saliva secretion, restlessness, irritability, desire to bite, immobility, and paralysis in the muscles of the face, trunk, and limbs can be observed, leading to death.”

Mamçu added that the rabies virus is transmitted through contact with the saliva or nervous system tissue of an infected animal, stating, “It is usually transmitted to humans through saliva, bites, and scratches. Globally, risky contacts with domestic dogs are generally responsible for 99% of rabies virus transmissions. Other types of contact, such as petting a rabid animal or contact with the blood, urine, or feces of a rabid animal, are not considered risky contact for rabies.”

Rabies can also be transmitted from human to human

Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology Specialist Dr. Dilek Leyla Mamçu underlined that human-to-human transmission of the rabies virus has only been confirmed in exceptional cases such as infected tissue or organ transplantation, and said, “There is a risk of rabies transmission in bites and non-bite contacts from an infected person, but no such case has been reported. Rabies transmission has not been reported as a result of touching a rabid person or contact with body fluids and tissues such as urine, blood, or feces that are not considered infected.”

Rabies can be prevented with medical care before symptoms begin

“Rabies is a disease that can be prevented by reducing contact with wild animals, vaccinating domestic animals, and providing medical care after risky contact, before rabies-related symptoms begin,” said Mamçu, emphasizing the need for effective vaccination efforts to prevent the development of rabies in animals. Mamçu reminded that vaccination efforts in wild animals in our country are carried out under the control of the T.C. Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, and stated, “To prevent the development of rabies in domestic animals, contact with wild animals must be prevented, and a rabies vaccine must be administered every year. It is stated that at least 70% of domestic dogs, which cause the most widespread transmission, need to be vaccinated to prevent its spread in the community.”

Those with potential contact and those with risky contact should be vaccinated

Dr. Dilek Leyla Mamçu stated that for individuals with a high likelihood of high-risk contact for rabies, protection can be provided with wound cleaning, vaccine, or antibodies before contact, and for those with risky contact, after contact. She added, “Bites from all warm-blooded mammalian wild animals potentially infected with rabies, unvaccinated domestic animals like cats and dogs, animals such as cattle, sheep, horses, donkeys, and in some parts of the world, bats, pose a risk for rabies regardless of the location. Open wounds, cuts, contact of mucosal surfaces with material containing saliva, drool, and nerve tissue, and scratches are also considered risky contacts for rabies.”

Mamçu continued by addressing individuals who should receive pre-exposure and post-exposure prophylaxis:

“Pre-exposure prophylaxis is recommended for individuals at high risk of direct contact with the virus, such as rabies research laboratory workers and those involved in the production of biological products for rabies, as well as those with a high occupational or travel-related risk of contact with rabid animals, such as veterinarians, veterinary students, veterinary technicians, animal handlers, and cave workers. After a risky contact, it is first necessary to evaluate the animal involved, the type of contact, the person's immune status, and whether they have been previously vaccinated. Post-exposure vaccination is recommended as soon as possible. However, since the time from rabies transmission to the development of infection is long, post-exposure prophylaxis should be applied no matter how much time has passed since the risky contact.”

These types of contact do not require medical intervention

Mamçu listed the situations that do not require medical intervention for post-exposure prophylaxis as follows:

-Bites from mice, rats, squirrels, hamsters, guinea pigs, gerbils, rabbits, wild rabbits

-Bites from bats that entered the house or the presence of bats in the house (bat contact in natural caves should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis)

-Bites from cold-blooded animals such as snakes, lizards, turtles

-Poultry bites

-Licking of intact skin, touching or feeding an animal

-Bite more than 10 days ago by a known and still healthy cat or dog

-Having fed an animal later found to be rabid, intact skin having come into contact with the animal’s blood, milk, urine, or feces, eating its cooked meat, drinking its boiled or pasteurized milk, or consuming dairy products made from this milk

-In cat contacts; superficial abrasions of bare skin (injuries not penetrating the skin), small scratches or abrasions without bleeding, non-bite cat contacts caused by provocation

-Persons who have received a full dose of post-exposure rabies vaccine within the last 6 months

In all injuries, the wound should be washed with plenty of water and soap

Emphasizing that in all injuries, regardless of the time of injury, the wound site should be thoroughly washed with plenty of running, pressurized water and soap as soon as possible to mechanically remove the virus, Dr. Dilek Leyla Mamçu concluded her remarks as follows:

“After the washing process is completed, alcohol or one of the skin antiseptics should be applied. The decision regarding antibiotic use should be made by a physician, taking into account patient characteristics (e.g., immunocompromised patients, diabetic patients), injury site (face area, hand area, genital area, area near prosthesis or joint), wound characteristics (deep injuries reaching bone, injuries requiring closure), and the time elapsed since the injury.”

## Akademik Referans

DOI: [https://doi.org/10.32739/uha.id.41151](https://doi.org/10.32739/uha.id.41151)

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