> If you get bitten by a wild animal

Or even if you "only" get scratched

> If you get bitten…

Nit: If you get exposed to the infected animal’s saliva. [1] This does not need to be a bite.

> People can get rabies if they have contact with the saliva or neural tissue of an infected animal… [2]

[1] “Canadian child dies from rabies after bat found in bedroom” https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgxjnldqvdo

[2] Center for Disease Control “Rabies VIS” https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/vis/vis-statements/rabies.h...

What's interesting is that in many cases, you will not be given a vaccine. A skunk bite will do the trick, but if you were bitten by a squirrel, you probably won't be getting any. You can probably read your state's guidelines online. My state has a surprisingly narrow list of animals that entitle you to a shot.

The theory behind it is that some mammals are somewhat less likely to be carriers, but it's not a comforting thought, right? You have a somewhat lower chance of certain death than if you were bitten by a bat, so we will deny you a pretty safe vaccine.

In my state (Washington) there is no record of rabies in terrestrial wild mammals. It's only been found in bats and domestic animals.

Here's a document of animals tested for rabies from 1988 to 2023 [1], and only 4 cases were not in bats. 2 in cats, 1 in a horse, and 1 in a llama.

Nevertheless there are always people freaking out on NextDoor when they see a raccoon.

[1] https://doh.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2024-05/AnimalsTested...

> can probably read your state's guidelines online. My state has a surprisingly narrow list of animals that entitle you to a shot.

What state is this in? If I want a prophylactic rabies shot, I can just ask my doctor to schedule one.

You can definitely get the rabies vaccine especially if traveling on what not. May not be covered by insurance.

What they do limit is the immunoglobulin shot — that is very hard to manufacture (I think it’s developed from horses antibodies or something) and is used in large quantities based on patient weight. That’s why the gatekeep.

You can get the full course for under $100 OTC in Thailand. Even with travel it will be considerably less expensive than in the USA (think around $7k, although maybe slightly less without the immunoglobin) unless your insurance is exceptional.

> than in the USA (think around $7k

Try $300 to 400 without insurance [1]. It's free with most insurance, including Medicaid and Medicare Part D.

[1] https://www.goodrx.com/rabavert

You need 5 to 7 doses to be safe.

yeah the cost of the rabies vaccine is insane, especially given that it was one of the first vaccines discovered

The problem with squirrels and other wild rodents is plague. Yeah, that plague: The Black Death. It's not spread by bites but merely close contact.

It's treatable with antibiotics if caught early, but still a few people a year die from it in the US. Usually in the Rocky Mountain states.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plague_(disease)

>The theory behind it is that some mammals are somewhat less likely to be carriers

When I was reading up on this several years ago, it's because smaller animals are highly unlikely to survive an attack by another rabid animal and are therefore less likely to carry rabies (and be alive). Larger animals are more likely to survive an attack and carry rabies.

Well there is also a chance that you contracted the virus without noticing an animal at all.

Not to mention any number of other conditions that may lead to sudden death.

Risk is an inevitable part of being alive, all we can do is minimize it. Once it's minimized to noise levels it's not really rational to do anything else.

I agree with what you're saying, and you're absolutely correct, but purely in the interest of pedantry, there has been at least one case of a person surviving after showing symptoms [1].

Still, the odds are so close to 100% lethal after symptoms that you can very honestly round up to 100%.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabies#After_onset

> there has been at least one case of a person surviving after showing symptoms

There appear to be some people with the ability to create antibodies to the rabies virus. Together with the Milwaukee protocol, which may keep the brain from frying itself (or do nothing, we don't know), we have the ability to turn it from a death sentence to--in a hair of cases--just a severely debilitating disease.

And that case was (relatively) recent! https://childrenswi.org/at-every-turn/stories/jeanna-giese-r...