Rabies Vaccine?

14 March 2011, 00:28

jetdrvr

Rabies Vaccine?

The question is, what does she base her assumption on? What is her statistical base line? Number of hunters infected? I dunno. After that last experience, where a small hole in my tent could have resulted in me being bitten. I will get the rabies vaccination should I return to the African bush.

14 March 2011, 00:44

ledvm

quote:
Originally posted by Edod:
For what it is worth, I saw a specialist in ID who does a lot of pre-safari type consultations. Her recommendation was, for my 10 day DG hunt in Zimbabwe, to not take the rabies vaccine. She said the risk of exposure, although real, is very small. I have elected to follow her advise.

Thanks again, to all who have contributed to this thread.

Really and truly...it is no skin of my back either way. I am just contributing for the sake of discussion and truth.

My first question is: What is the risk of an untoward effect from a rabies vaccination? I supect it is very low. However...I suspect the chance for infection is very low as well. The only problem is that rabies is fatal.

Did you know that one of the epidemics that goes through Kudu every few years is rabies. I have never seen a rabid kudu but have seen several rabid cattle and horses. They don't really act like "rabid" animals as most think of "rabid animals". Initially they are just lethargic and usually go into a dumb stage.

It would be easy to shoot a rabid PG species and NOT know that it was rabid.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
J. Lane Easter, DVM

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14 March 2011, 07:32

Mike Smith

How many cases of rabies infection or exposure in both vaccinated and unvaccinated visiting hunters can any of you document?

14 March 2011, 19:50

ledvm

quote:
Originally posted by ledvm:
quote:
Since 1980, most patients with human rabies in the United States have not had definite exposure through a bite wound, making total understanding of the mechanism of transmission somewhat elusive.

quote:
however, because a history of an animal bite is obtained in less than one half of US cases, diagnosis is problematic. Presentation of a patient in the rabies prodromal stage without a clear exposure history is so nonspecific and rare that making the diagnosis in the ED is essentially impossible.