Have to get rabies shots

[Nikki28]

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Good to know! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Verboten]

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The 10 day period is not for taking your time to do research or for you to decide what is a convienient time, treatment is supposed to begin as soon as possible after wounds are treated. 10 days is the quarantine period for domestic dogs and vaccine would be given (ASAP) if they if they show symptoms. They treat "wild terrestrial carnivore" exposure very differently. A fox is considered rabid unless otherwise proven and exposure calls for immediate vaccination.

CDC Website quote:
"Raccoons, skunks, foxes, and coyotes are the terrestrial animals most often infected with rabies in the United States. All bites by such wildlife must be considered a possible exposure to the rabies virus.
Postexposure prophylaxis should be initiated as soon as possible following exposure to such wildlife unless the animal has already been tested and determined not to be rabid. If postexposure prophylaxis has been initiated and subsequent testing shows that the exposing animal was not rabid, postexposure prophylaxis can be discontinued.
Signs of rabies among wildlife cannot be interpreted reliably; therefore, any such animal that exposes a person should be euthanized as soon as possible (without unnecessary damage to the head) and the brain should be submitted for rabies testing. If the results of testing are negative, the saliva can be assumed to contain no virus, and the person exposed does not require postexposure prophylaxis"


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You should tell the CDC this, they need to hear about it. http://www.cdc.gov/rabies/news/RabVaxupdate.html Of the 2 main vaccines 1 is available "without supply restrictions" and the other is still available for "post-exposure prophylaxis" although it is not currently being produced The shortage has more of an effect for those needing it for PRE exposure. There seems to be enough vaccine for those who need it.

Glad to hear that you did not "have to get rabies shots" after a physican (qualified person) evaluated you.

 

[Guitartists]

Best to err on the side of caution..... that being said. I think I heard somewhere that only one in ten rabid animals will actually pass on the rabies....

 

[chickenannie]

Ouch, got the 6 shots today (not too bad actually, just a bit sore from where the needle went in). You have to get a series of follow-up shots too, as was mentioned previously but at least for those it's only one shot each time. My doctor friend got the shots too.
Not exactly my fav thing to do on Christmas Eve day, but necessary. And still had time to go to my Christmas eve party.
Hope you're all having a good C'eve too!

 

[Zookeeper9000]

Been off a few days, So sorry to hear of this. Keeping you and your friend in my prayers.

 

[mainchick]

this is very interesting to me! I work at an animal shelter and we always have to quarantine an animal that has bitten someone for 10 days, even if they have already been vaccinated. If the animals is extremely viscious it will be euthanized and its head sent to the county animal services to do a "head check" on it. basically checking the brain for rabies. I didn't know about the vaccines and what the procedure was for administering them. Informative!

 

[Sylvie]

I was jogging and a large male German Sheppard came up behind me and bit my hand. I had never seen the dog before and this happened a couple hundred feet from my drive. I couldn't get past the dog to go back home. It became distracted and I took off down the road to call from the next house. A minute later I see a lady walking the dog on a leash. We exchanged a few heated words and I reported this to the dog warden and health dept. Health Dept had the owners quarantine the dog for 10 days but felt that I was in no danger of rabies. If I was, 10 days out would be fine for the shots.
We get all this literature about what to do if bitten by a strange dog, animal, act immediately, report it. And the reality of it is completely different!!!!!
Yeah and what a great intro to the newly moved in neighbors, we are very icey to this day.

 

[eggchel]

My DD and I had to get Rabies vaccines last summer.

We were indirectly exposed to skunk saliva by handling half-eaten broken eggs. We just thought that we had a naughty chicken that had been breaking open the eggs and so we were casually picking the remains up and carrying them around while we did our chores. We didnt bother to wash our hands since it was "just egg goop"....... we just kept on with our work.

After about 2 weeks of this, we found a skunk in the nest box eating an egg. Thats when we started making phone calls.

It turns out that we were considered "Indirectly Exposed" because the skunk's saliva would have been in the wet egg remains that we handled.
Because we always have scratches on our hands/arms, and I frequently rub my eyes because of the dust, they said that we could get infected that way, although is was much less likely than if we had been bitten. The rabies virus reproduces in the saliva glands which is why the saliva is so infectious.

Because skunks are the second most often rabid animals in CA (behind bats), every medical, health, animal, and rabies specialist that we talked to advised us to have the shots. While the risk of being infected may be small, the fatality rate for the disease is 100%.

Here is the list of who said "absolutely, get the shots":
The CDC (U.S. Center for Disease Control)
CA State dept of Health
CA State Vet in charge of Rabies Control
Our county health department
Our county Vector Control
Our city Animal Control
Stanford Hospital Emergency Dept
Palo Alto Medical Center Urgent care doctors
and my private physician.

Not one said that we didnt need the shots!

Needless to say, we got the shots.

They really arent bad except for the first day when you get a bunch of gamma globulin shots in addition to the rabies vaccine. They base the number of gg shots on your weight! How unfair! LOL.

After that, it was a piece of cake. Just one shot in the arm each visit on days 3,7 14, and 28.


Im glad that you have started treatment Chickenannie.

Chel

 

[chickenannie]

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I'm sorry this happened to you. I have a pet peeve about dog owners whose dogs snap and bite, because IMO most of the time, the owners will say "my dog never bites anyone" even when you show them the bite or they just saw it happen. Serious denial that makes being around their dog miserable for others, and potential dangerous and in the case of rabies, potential life-threatening.

 

[chickenannie]

I found info from the CDC below on why the rabies vaccine is in short supply for the past year. The text below makes it sound like it's still available but based on my experience this past week, it was extremely difficult to get treated, since I was put in the "indirectly exposed" category, and was not directly bitten.

And yes, everybody advised us to get the vaccine, up until we went to the ER to actually get it. Then they had to call the health department, and it was very difficult for the doctor's to get the proper "codes" from the DOH they needed to actually access the vaccine. They told me they're no longer giving the "pre-exposure" vaccine, but in the CDC text, it says it's still available. Very alarming that one single maker of the vaccine can potentially affect lots of us.
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Why is there an interruption in supply?

Starting in June 2007, Sanofi Pasteur began renovating its IMOVAX Rabies vaccine production facility in France to maintain compliance with the most current requirements from FDA and the French regulatory body. Prior to these renovations, Sanofi Pasteur established an inventory based on historical levels of sales and projected market demand. The facility is scheduled to be approved and operational by mid-to-late 2009. Until the facility is operational, Sanofi Pasteur has a finite amount of IMOVAX Rabies vaccine.
After the renovations began, Novartis, the other supplier of rabies vaccine for the United States, was unable to meet projected rabies vaccine supplies.
Since early 2008, Novartis has been supplying its rabies vaccine, RabAvert, for post-exposure use only. Consequently, Sanofi Pasteur has been supplying nearly all of the market for rabies vaccine. The increase in demand for IMOVAX is outpacing the company’s historical levels of supply.

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Current Situation:

As a result of collaborative efforts with public health and government officials, Novartis has additional supplies of rabies vaccine for distribution. The company has announced that effective October 7, 2008, they are able to deliver RabAvert vaccine for post-exposure prophylaxis, without supply restrictions.
The Novartis product identification number has changed from 53905-501-01 to 63851-501-01.
Questions can be directed to Novartis customer service at 1-800-244-7668.
Sanofi Pasteur continues to have IMOVAX vaccine available for post-exposure prophylaxis.
To obtain IMOVAX rabies vaccine you must first contact your Rabies State Health Official so that a risk-assessment can be conducted for the suspected exposure. If your Rabies State Health Official determines that rabies post-exposure prophylaxis is indicated they will provide you with a passcode to place on the Sanofi Pasteur Rabies Post-Exposure Form. The form must be filled out in its entirety, including the required physician's signature and passcode provided by your Rabies State Health Official. Please contact Sanofi Pasteur at 1-800-VACCINE to obtain the required form. Please click here for a list of the Rabies State Health Officials.

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How does this affect current rabies vaccination recommendations?

Persons at increased risk for rabies exposure should take appropriate precautions to avoid rabies exposure
Vaccine is available for PEP, and providers should consult with their local or state public health department to ensure appropriate use of PEP
General rabies awareness and prevention messages should be emphasized to avoid exposure (e.g., avoid wildlife contact, vaccinate pets/livestock, capture/observe/test exposing animal, etc.)