![]() They will bind to the virus and activate the immune system to rid the body of the virus. To treat rabies immediately, the patient receives an additional shot of immunoglobulins - a bolus of proteins. It is given in four doses - one right away with additional doses on the 3rd, 7th, and 14th days.īut, it takes time to build up the immunity, and someone infected with rabies has no time to waste because the rabies virus is already in the body multiplying. Once the virus infects the neurons and symptoms develop, death is almost inevitable. The first is the vaccine - a part of the rabies virus that will, over time, build up immunity in the person. There are two components to the injections. What shots does a person receive after potential rabies exposure? But, because some bat bites cannot be felt (the bat was in their house overnight, and a bat bite would not necessarily wake someone from their sleep) they got the vaccine just to be sure. ![]() ![]() In fact, I know someone whose entire family received the vaccine because they had a bat in their house. So, they'll give the shots just to be on the safe side, which makes sense. Why? Because rabies has an almost 100% fatality rate, the injections may be uncomfortable but have no significant risk and no one wants to play those odds. And, in the vast majority of cases, the vaccination will be given. The medical professional will determine if the person should be vaccinated or not. In fact, immediately cannot be stressed enough here. The short answer (this is taken from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) website) is to If you do come into contact with one of those animals (or other animals that are acting strangely), what should you do? But, the most common carriers and transmitters are bats, skunks, raccoons, dogs, cats, coyotes, and foxes. So, instead of making these parents, who I can imagine already feel badly enough, feel worse, and try to assure this does not happen again, we need to talk about what to do if you happen to come into contact with an animal that may be rabid. Because, as scary as rabies is - dying from it is preventable.įirst of all - what classifies as an animal that could be rabid? That is tricky because any mammal can carry rabies. Almost every day, I see people feeding the raccoons in Central Park out of their hands. And, it's not just these parents who did not understand. The comments sections on the articles regarding his death are chock full of condemnation for the parents.īut, not everyone knows what to do after coming into contact with a bat. As a side note, rabies kills about 60,000 people a year, worldwide. He will be counted as one of only a handful of rabies deaths in the United States each year. ![]() This week, a six-year-old boy tragically died after contracting rabies. ![]()
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