Rabies deaths in Thailand are now at 23 so far this year as opposed to 9 last year according to a report in the Bangkok Post.
Half of the deaths were from household dogs and serves as a reminder to vaccinate their dogs and puppies.
A physician from the Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Medical Science also say that dog birth control is necessary; the household and stray dog population is predicted to rise from the current 2 million to 17 million in the next twenty years.
Rabies is an acute viral infection that is transmitted to humans or other mammals usually through the saliva from a bite of an infected animal. It is also rarely contracted through breaks in the skin or contact with mucous membranes.
According to the Control of Communicable Diseases Manual, all mammals are susceptible to rabies. Raccoons, skunks, foxes, bats, dogs, coyotes and cats are the likely suspects. Other animals like otters and ferrets are also high risk. Mammals like rabbits, squirrels, rodents and opossums are rarely infected.
Some infected animals can appear very aggressive, attacking for no reason. Some may act very tame.
The symptoms of rabies are as follows. Initially, like in many diseases, the symptoms are non-specific; fever, headache and malaise. This may last several days. At the site of the bite there may be some pain and discomfort. Symptoms then progress to more severe: confusion, delirium, abnormal behavior and hallucinations. If it gets this far, the disease is nearly 100% fatal.
The World Health Organization (WHO) ranks rabies as the second most dangerous disease for animal-to-human contraction after bird flu.
More on rabies
What you need to know about rabies: part 1
What you need to know about rabies: part 2
What you need to know about rabies: part 3
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