What is the "Ten-Day Observation Method"? What is its scientific basis? To which animals and situations is it applicable?

Sure, here's the translation:

What is the "10-day Observation Method"? What is its scientific basis? And which animals and situations does it apply to?

Let's explain this clearly in plain language.

1. What is the "10-day Observation Method"?

Simply put, the "10-day Observation Method" is a method recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) to determine if the dog, cat, or other animal that caused an injury was infectious with rabies at the time of the incident.

The core logic boils down to one sentence:

If the cat or dog that injured you remains alive, well, and behaving normally during the next 10 days, then it did not have rabies virus in its saliva when it bit you, and you are not at risk of rabies infection.

⚠️ Extremely Important Point: The "10-day Observation Method" does NOT mean waiting at home for 10 days after being bitten before deciding whether to go to the doctor! This understanding is completely wrong and dangerous!

The correct procedure should be:

Immediate Wound Care: Wash the wound alternately with soapy water (or plain water) and running water for at least 15 minutes.
Seek Immediate Medical Attention: Go to a hospital or Center for Disease Control (CDC) right away. Have a doctor assess the wound and provide professional treatment.
Initiate Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP): Follow the doctor's instructions. Get the rabies vaccine and, if the wound is severe, get rabies immunoglobulin if indicated.
Concurrent Observation: While starting the vaccination series, begin simultaneously observing the animal that caused the injury for 10 days.
Decide Next Steps: If, after 10 days, the animal remains healthy, it can be reasonably concluded that it was not infectious when the injury occurred. You can then consult your doctor and, based on their advice, see if you can stop the remaining vaccinations (e.g., if the original plan was 5 shots, and after shot 3 or 4 the observation period ends with the animal healthy, the remaining shots may not be needed). This avoids unnecessary medical costs and potential vaccination side effects.

2. What's the Scientific Basis?

The confidence in this method comes from the known activity patterns of the rabies virus within an infected animal. Think of it as a "virus journey":

Incubation Period (The Virus is Traveling): After entering the animal's body through the wound, the virus doesn’t immediately go to the saliva. It travels slowly along nerve pathways to the brain. This is the incubation period, which can last weeks or even months. During this stage, the animal appears perfectly normal, its saliva does not contain the virus, and it is not infectious.
Brain Invasion & Viral Proliferation: Only after the virus reaches the brain and begins replicating in large quantities will the animal start showing signs of rabies (e.g., sudden behavioral changes, fear of light, excessive drooling, aggression).
Shedding Virus in Saliva (Becoming Infectious): At the same time, or slightly before (roughly 1-3 days), the animal shows obvious symptoms, the virus spreads from the brain to the salivary glands. Only at this point does its saliva contain the virus and the animal becomes capable of transmitting rabies through a bite.

Here is the crucial point: Once the rabies virus invades the animal's brain and appears in the saliva, the animal's life span becomes very limited. The period from when it starts shedding virus (becoming infectious) to its death is usually very rapid, almost always within 10 days.

Therefore, the scientific logic of the "10-day Observation Method" is based on reverse deduction:

If the animal is still alive and healthy after 10 days,
Then this proves that 10 days ago (i.e., on the day it bit you) there was no virus in its brain or salivary glands.
Therefore, you could not possibly have been infected with rabies at the time of the injury.

This is a reliable method validated by extensive global research and practice.

3. Which Animals and Situations Does it Apply To?

While scientifically sound, the "10-day Observation Method" is not universally applicable. It has very strict eligibility criteria:

✅ Applicable Animals:

Dogs and Cats: These are the primary animals for which the method is well-researched and validated.
Ferrets (Domestic): In some countries, the method also applies to domestic ferrets.

❌ Non-Applicable Animals:

Wildlife: Such as bats, foxes, raccoons, wolves, skunks, etc. The rabies disease progression in these animals may differ from cats and dogs. The 10-day observation method absolutely does NOT apply.
Unidentified or Unobservable Animals: E.g., a stray dog that bit you ran away and cannot be found. Since you cannot observe it, the method is impossible to implement.

✅ Applicable Situations:

The Animal is Controllable: It must be your own pet, a neighbor's, or a friend's pet where you can ensure it will be confined and its health status closely monitored for the next 10 days.
Post-Exposure Prophylaxis Has Already Been Started: As mentioned previously, this is a method to assess whether it is safe to stop preventive measures, not to decide whether to start them.

❌ Non-Applicable Situations:

The animal is lost or cannot be located.
The animal's owner is uncooperative and will not allow observation.
Located in a high-risk rabies area and the animal's health and vaccination history cannot be verified (In this situation, doctors often recommend completing the full PEP course for greater safety).
Injured by wildlife or a suspicious stray animal.

In summary:

The "10-day Observation Method" is a scientific and effective tool. However, it functions more like a "safety brake" – used after initial safety actions (starting PEP) to potentially determine if the procedure can be stopped early. Always remember: After any animal injury, the primary rule remains: Immediately wash the wound thoroughly and seek professional medical help without delay! Your doctor's judgment and the regulations of your local CDC are the guides you should always follow.