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A comment on CDC reports increase in human rabies cases linked to bats in the U.S.. Parent comment

Re:CDC reports increase in human rabies cases linked to bats... by em500 on Thursday January 06, 2022 @05:11PM (#29831067)
Addressed in the parent post:

>> Only x number of people have died in the U.S. in the past x years. Rabies is really rare.

> Yes, deaths from rabies are rare in the United States, in the neighborhood of 2-3 per year. This does not mean rabies is rare. The reason that mortality is so rare in the U.S. is due to a very aggressive treatment protocol of all bite cases in the United States: If you are bitten, and you cannot identify the animal that bit you, or the animal were to die shortly after biting you, you will get post exposure treatment. That is the protocol.

> Post exposure is very effective (almost 100%) if done before you become symptomatic. It involves a series of immunoglobulin shots - many of which are at the site of the bite - as well as the vaccine given over the span of a month. (Fun fact - if you're vaccinated for rabies, you may be able to be an immunoglobulin donor!)

> In countries without good treatment protocols rabies is rampant. India alone sees 20,000 deaths from rabies PER YEAR.

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Re:CDC reports increase in human rabies cases linked to bats... by MobileVet on Thursday January 06, 2022 @08:43PM (#29833618)
Those shots are not cheap either. We found a bat had been in our bedroom at night when we visited my in laws and I saw it fly over us several times.

They didn’t catch it so we didn’t know if the bat had rabies. We hadn’t been bitten, but you can get the virus dropped in your eyes or nose and it is basically 100% fatal.

With those odds, you go through the 3 shot protocol. It was basically $1k per shot for each of us. We have solid insurance but they were not covered because they are so rare.

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Re:CDC reports increase in human rabies cases linked to bats... by djhn on Friday January 07, 2022 @01:51AM (#29835874)
Surely covering rare events is the whole point of insurance!

(I know US medical insurance is different)

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Re:CDC reports increase in human rabies cases linked to bats... by dave_sullivan on Friday January 07, 2022 @04:07AM (#29836837)
Americans have been fucking themselves for so long that they don't even care if it makes sense anymore.
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Re:CDC reports increase in human rabies cases linked to bats... by option on Friday January 07, 2022 @02:11AM (#29836013)
That sounds ridiculously cheap. I got bitten by the squirrel and went to the emergency room only to be told that they don’t do rabies shots after squirrel bites. The price I paid for 15 min visit? - $3,500.
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Re:CDC reports increase in human rabies cases linked to bats... by ManBlanket on Thursday January 06, 2022 @07:14PM (#29832712)
To what end then is it useful to drum up public fear of rabies in bats, if what actually leads to deaths seems to be economical problems? People only react stupidly to fear mongering. If you want a delightful read, the Merlin Tuttle Bat Conservancy has collected stories about how Fauchi's baseless, "idk, probably bats" reasoning has led to the extermination of entire populations. https://www.merlintuttle.org/

If you truly must live your life in fear of dying, look no further than heart disease and car accidents.

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Re:CDC reports increase in human rabies cases linked to bats... by userbinator on Thursday January 06, 2022 @07:51PM (#29833116)
If you truly must live your life in fear of dying, look no further than heart disease and car accidents.

Those are not as scary because there are plenty of survivors, in various states of health. Rabies is notable for being a very binary and decisive disease with little advance warning or treatment.

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Re:CDC reports increase in human rabies cases linked to bats... by bbarnett on Thursday January 06, 2022 @11:23PM (#29834803)
I think, some creatures are just trouble for our species. Mosquitoes are the deadliest for us, but it seems that bats, with high instances of rabies, and things like covid, are right up there too.

It is sadly funny that we manage to extinct the useful, and mostly beneficial creatures around us, but our "enemies" just exist rampantly and laugh.

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Re:CDC reports increase in human rabies cases linked to bats... by sokoloff on Thursday January 06, 2022 @06:08PM (#29831917)
Unfun fact: the rabies immune globulin shots are by far the most painful shot I've ever experienced and being the size that I am, I received what I think was 7 of them in quick succession.

I also got the 4-shot vaccine series, which felt like any other vaccine (basically painless), but the RIG was like having liquid fire injected into my Forrest Gump region.

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Re:CDC reports increase in human rabies cases linked to bats... by khazhoux on Thursday January 06, 2022 @06:46PM (#29832400)
Huh. I had immunoglobulin shots ("It's just like maple syrup!" the nurse told me) in my butt back in college, and I don't remember it hurting at all. It was just an odd sensation of so much heavy fluid being injected so slowly.

Mostly, I remember it being funny every time I went back and presented my bare butt to the nurse.

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Re:CDC reports increase in human rabies cases linked to bats... by mpmpmpmp on Thursday January 06, 2022 @07:14PM (#29832708)
I got bit on my finger tip by a feral cat and had to get the first dose injection in the fingertip. It was not pleasant. The rest of them were in the butt which was not great but nothing compared to the fingertip. The cat did die and my parents were able to send it in and luckily the tests for the cat came back negative after a couple of days and I did not have to get all the doses.
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Re:CDC reports increase in human rabies cases linked to bats... by joecool1029 on Friday January 07, 2022 @01:50AM (#29835866)
Weird. I had the immunoglobulin shots, two in the legs, two in buttocks. Despite the syringes being larger than ones I usually see for vaccine it was nothing too memorable. The intramuscular shots (J&J for covid and Tdap honestly hurt more). The ~$17k bill the hospital sent me was the most painful part of the rabies post-exposure process to deal with, not any of the shots.
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Re:CDC reports increase in human rabies cases linked to bats... by newsbinator on Thursday January 06, 2022 @07:36PM (#29832943)
I had immunoglobulin + rabies vax in my arms and butt and it was just a standard vaccination kind of discomfort. I don't remember thinking "omg pain" at all.
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Re:CDC reports increase in human rabies cases linked to bats... by watwut on Thursday January 06, 2022 @05:36PM (#29831479)
Sounds like multiple reasons not to worry and keep doing what you want doing if you live in USA
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Re:CDC reports increase in human rabies cases linked to bats... by admiral33 on Thursday January 06, 2022 @06:38PM (#29832278)
Why can't we just get the vaccine before exposure? I'm sure there's a good reason just curious
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Re:CDC reports increase in human rabies cases linked to bats... by el_benhameen on Thursday January 06, 2022 @07:31PM (#29832890)
You can, especially if traveling to a region where it’s endemic and common. I got the series at a Kaiser travel clinic just by asking when I was planning out a long international trip. You still need post-exposure shots, though fewer (and maybe no immune globulin, if I remember correctly).
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Re:CDC reports increase in human rabies cases linked to bats... by toomuchtodo on Thursday January 06, 2022 @09:28PM (#29834009)
There is an mRNA prophylactic version in clinical trials:

https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03713086

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Re:CDC reports increase in human rabies cases linked to bats... by HWR_14 on Thursday January 06, 2022 @07:16PM (#29832736)
The rabies vaccine needs fairly frequent renewal (more than once a year). People likely to contract it (vets, pest control, zookeepers, etc) get them. Others get post exposure treatment that is very effective.
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Re:CDC reports increase in human rabies cases linked to bats... by xyzzy_plugh on Thursday January 06, 2022 @08:28PM (#29833465)
This isn't accurate. It may need frequent renewal, which is why most professionals get titers regularly to test for immunity.

Most vets I know have only ever had one or two doses per decade.

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Re:CDC reports increase in human rabies cases linked to bats... by _Microft on Thursday January 06, 2022 @06:42PM (#29832336)
People who work with bats or are otherwise at risk of coming in contact with rabies are actually getting the vaccination like they get others (note: in Germany).
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Re:CDC reports increase in human rabies cases linked to bats... by klipt on Thursday January 06, 2022 @07:05PM (#29832615)
I bet you could make a lot of money advertizing an elective rabies vaccine to people searching for rabies on YouTube. They might not ultimately need it, but if they're willing to pony up some money for peace of mind, why not?
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Re:CDC reports increase in human rabies cases linked to bats... by jopsen on Thursday January 06, 2022 @06:53PM (#29832480)
If it only affects 2-3 people per year in the US, then is it worth it?

Might it not be better to reduce rabies in wildlife, or spend the money on other kinds of vaccinations?

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Re:CDC reports increase in human rabies cases linked to bats... by maxerickson on Thursday January 06, 2022 @06:58PM (#29832539)
It effects ~50,000 people per year (in the US). It fails a couple.

I guess there is a lot to account for when you start talking about preventative vaccination instead of post exposure vaccination.

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