I apologize if this has been posted here before, but if not, I think it needs to be done. I just received this bulletin from the VA so here goes:

"What is rabies?? Rabies is a viral disease that leads to a fatal brain infection. It is transmitted from infected animals to people through bites and exposure to saliva. Rabies is preventable if you get vaccinated before you get sick.

"Why is this important for veterans? - A high percentage of dogs in Afghanistan and Iraq, even though they may appear healthy, are infected with rabies. OEF/OIF/OND Veterans who were deployed in the previous 18 months and were bitten or had contact with saliva from a warm-blooded animal such as a dog, cat, bat, fox, skunk, raccoon, mongoose, or jackal could be at risk.

"What should I do if I was bitten or exposed while I was deployed? - Get evaluated today!! Discuss what happened and what if any treatment you received, with your local VA provider. It is frequently impossible to know if the animal you had contact with had rabies. Because rabies is a very serious disease we want to understand your specific case and discuss treatment options with you."

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Please make all recent veterans you know aware of this information. If they have had any such contact, they need to call the VA or present themselves at the nearest VA (Veterans Administration) facility IMMEDIATELY, even if they have had no previous contact with the VA. If any treatment is required, as it is a service-connected medical problem they will be treated free of any charge. If any disability results from their exposure, they will also have 5 more years to submit any disability claims to receive financial and/or medical support for treatment in the future.

Thanks for the post.

Also, don't wait to "see if you'll be disabled, or if disability will result" as RABIES IS FATAL. There will be no disability if you were exposed, you'll just be dead. It needs to be said plainly as the military is taking this very seriously. Exposure can happen years before clinical signs show up and once they do you are dead. Any such contact with wild dogs/animals should be reported immediately and treatment sought.

I believe the disability comment was for those who fear some afteraffects of the vaccination.

Two people are known to have lived through rabies, that I know of, but the odds are very definitely overwhelmingly against surviving the disease once you have its symptoms.

Incidentally, it is financially wise to get any required vaccination through the VA. As mentioned, it is free if the exposure occured while on active duty. Private physicians CAN provide it too, but they usually require payment of the vaccine costs up front...and the vial of vaccine normally runs about $1,200 in many locations.

It aso needs to be said that even if you WANT to die, rabies is not the way to do it. Death by rabies can be excruciatingly slow and painful.

When I got vaccinated for rabies we set it up so that there were 3 or 4 patients who "shared" the vial for each day of the injections. Apparently the shelf life of an open vial is pretty short so they can't just keep it until the next patient shows up. It was a bit of a pain to work it out to be there on the right day for the injections though but way cheaper.

quote:

Originally posted by calgarychef1:
When I got vaccinated for rabies we set it up so that there were 3 or 4 patients who "shared" the vial for each day of the injections. Apparently the shelf life of an open vial is pretty short so they can't just keep it until the next patient shows up. It was a bit of a pain to work it out to be there on the right day for the injections though but way cheaper.

Yes, that's one of the many downsides to putting off an evaluation, and one of the reasons the treatment can be so expensive if done privately.

The very short shelf life of the vaccine means most small towns don't have ANY available locally. It has to be flown in and treatment begun immediately after its arrival. And in small towns there often aren't enough clients who need vaccination simultaneously to make vial-sharing realistic.