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Part 7 of the Housing Act 1996 will shortly be amended by the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017. This guide shows how Part 7 will read once all of the amendments have been brought into force. When the changes will come into effect. The amendments will come into force via regulations, which will confirm the commencement date(s) (HRA 2017, s.13(3)).
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The Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 is one of the biggest changes to the rights of homeless people in England for 15 years. It effectively bolts two new duties to the original statutory rehousing duty: Duty to prevent homelessness.
In the first section of this report we assess whether the Act has been able to achieve its desired aims. We then look at why the outcomes of the Act remain poor for homeless households and identify the barriers that applicants and local authorities face when trying to prevent or relieve homelessness.
Jun 25, 2019 · Hailed by government as ‘the most ambitious legislative reform in decades’, parliament’s intention was that local housing authorities provide help to all who are homeless or threatened with homelessness, regardless of priority need.
- Overview
- What are the symptoms of rabies?
- How do people catch rabies?
- Who’s at risk of contracting rabies?
- How do doctors diagnose rabies?
- Can rabies be cured?
- What does the rabies vaccine entail?
- How can you prevent rabies?
Rabies — the word probably brings to mind an enraged animal frothing at the mouth. This painful, life threatening, and preventable condition can result from an encounter with an infected animal.
Rabies is caused by a virus that affects the central nervous system (CNS), in particular the brain.
Domestic dogs, cats, and rabbits — and wild animals such as skunks, raccoons, and bats — are able to transfer the virus to humans via bites and scratches. The key to fighting the virus is a quick response.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), around 59,000 people worldwide die from rabies every year. About 99 percent of them have been bitten by a rabid dog.
The period between the bite and the onset of symptoms is called the incubation period. It usually takes 3 weeks to 3 months for a person to develop rabies symptoms once they’ve contracted the infection, per the CDC. However, incubation periods can also range from 1 week to 1 year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The initial onset of rabies begins with flu-like symptoms, including fever, muscle weakness, and tingling. You may also feel burning at the bite site.
Animals with rabies transfer the virus to other animals and humans via a scratch or saliva following a bite. However, any contact with the mucous membranes or an open wound can also transmit the virus.
The transmission of this virus is considered to occur exclusively from animal to animal and animal to human. While human-to-human transmission of the virus is extremely rare, there have been a handful of cases reported following corneal transplants. For humans who contract rabies, a bite from an unvaccinated dog is by far the most common culprit.
Once a person has been bitten, the virus spreads through their nerves to their brain. Bites or scratches on the head and neck are thought to speed up the brain and spinal cord involvement because of the location of the initial trauma. For that reason, if you’re bitten on the neck, it’s especially important to seek help immediately.
Following a bite, the rabies virus spreads by way of the nerve cells to the brain. Once in the brain, the virus multiplies rapidly. This activity causes severe inflammation of the brain and spinal cord after which the person deteriorates rapidly and dies.
For most people, the risk of contracting rabies is relatively low. However, there are certain situations that may put you at a higher risk. These include:
•living in an area populated by bats
•living in a rural area where there’s greater exposure to wild animals and little or no access to vaccines and preventive therapy
•traveling to developing countries
•frequent camping and exposure to wild animals
•being under the age of 15 years old (rabies is most common in this age group)
There’s no test to detect the early stages of rabies infection. After the onset of symptoms, a doctor can use tests such as a blood, tissue, or saliva test to help determine whether you have the disease. Tissue tests include the direct fluorescent antibody (DFA) test and a biopsy of the neck.
If you’ve been bitten by a wild animal, a doctor will typically administer a preventive shot of the rabies vaccine to stop the infection before symptoms set in.
Once a person has developed rabies, it’s rare for the disease to be cured. However, after being exposed to the rabies virus, you can have a series of injections to prevent an infection from setting in.
Rabies immunoglobulin, which gives you an immediate dose of rabies antibodies to fight the infection, helps to prevent the virus from getting a foothold. Then, getting the rabies vaccine is the key to avoiding the disease.
Getting a rabies vaccination as soon as possible after an animal bite is the best way to prevent the infection. The rabies vaccine is given in a series of five shots over 14 days.
Doctors will treat your wound by washing it for at least 15 minutes with soap and water, detergent, or iodine. Then, they’ll give you a shot of the rabies immunoglobin and you’ll start the round of four injections for the rabies vaccine. This protocol is known as post-exposure prophylaxis.
Rabies is a preventable disease. There are simple measures you can take to help keep you from catching rabies:
•Get a rabies vaccination before traveling to developing countries, working closely with animals, or working in a lab handling the rabies virus.
•Vaccinate your pets.
•Keep your pets from roaming outside.
•Report stray animals to animal control.
•Avoid contact with wild animals.
This guidance is issued under section 7 of the Local Authority Social Services Act 1970, which requires local authorities, in exercising their social services functions, to act under...
Sep 25, 2020 · The Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 call for evidence was open between 23 July and 15 October 2019. We received responses from 160 different respondents. Response rates for each question varied.
