Rabies?

sillysally

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#1
So now my dad has me a bit concerned that I may at risk for rabies from this cat scratch. I have a tetnas shot already, should I be doing anything about the rabies possibility? They are sending the stray cats head to be tested for rabies...

ETA: I'm pretty positive the cats blood got in my scratches...
 

*blackrose

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#2
Note: if you have any medical concern at all, I would speak with your physician.

That being said, I think it is highly unlikely the cat was rabid. I'm sure it's possible...but, the last thing on my mind when I get scratched/bit by an animal is that it is rabid. I'd be much more worried about the scratches getting infected, or even cat scratch fever.

That also being said: I'm pretty sure humans can have a rabies vaccine. May be an option?
 

JessLough

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#3
Yah, I wouldn't be terribly worried about rabies, but I'd get it checked put and possibly put on antibiotics, cat scratches can get nasty fast.

As far as the rabies vaccine for humans, unless theres another one, it's a pre-exposure vaccine, and if you are infected with rabies, you still need to go through treatment.. It juat shortens the treatment time.
 

Xandra

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Yah, I wouldn't be terribly worried about rabies, but I'd get it checked put and possibly put on antibiotics, cat scratches can get nasty fast.

As far as the rabies vaccine for humans, unless theres another one, it's a pre-exposure vaccine, and if you are infected with rabies, you still need to go through treatment.. It juat shortens the treatment time.
Yep. Went to Tanzanua last month and that's what I read and was told by the doc at the travel clinic... If you have no vaccination you must immediately (within 24 hours I think) get an immunoglobulin injection plus some more shots. With prior vaccine you save yourself the immunoglobulin shot. The vaccination costs hundreds, needs to be given over a period of a month or more and only lasts five years or so. I think I got that right but don't quote me. The jist is in a developed country i think it's very unlikely that the cat had rabies and infected you and a human rabies vaccination is not worth it in most cases. If it happened within a day and you're really worried you could look into the immunoglobulin/shot treatment but I bet it's hella pricey and not covered unless the results come back and the cat is found to be rabid. They don't even recommend them if you're going to an area that actually has rabies UNLESS you plan to work with critters.


I, personally, would not worry about it (logically anyways). Next time you go for a drive, however... :)
 

stardogs

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#5
Talk to your doctor tomorrow and stay in touch with the vet on the test results - they should be back pretty fast.

From this site: http://www.cdc.gov/rabies/exposure/type.html

The contamination of open wounds, abrasions, mucous membranes, or theoretically, scratches (potentially contaminated with infectious material from a rabid animal) constitutes a nonbite exposure.

Nonbite exposures from terrestrial animals rarely cause rabies. However, occasional reports of rabies transmission by nonbite exposures suggest that such exposures should be evaluated for possible postexposure prophylaxis administration.

Other contact by itself, such as petting a rabid animal and contact with blood, urine, or feces of a rabid animal, does not constitute an exposure and is not an indication for postexposure vaccination.
 

Laurelin

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#6
I would wait for the rabies test on the cat's head to come back. We had to get rabies shots when I was a kid because they botched up the test. Rabies shots SUCK.
 

Grab

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The likelihood of it being rabid is likely pretty low (you should be able to find stats on your area and the incidents of rabies in various species). Since you were "only" scratched and bled upon, I'd be even less worried.

If they are sending out the cat for analysis, they should get results very quickly. (the sample has to be shipped by overnight service and the labs get those results very quickly). The last few samples we've had to send out (very rare, but we had two just recently) came back in a few days
 

JessLough

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Yep. Went to Tanzanua last month and that's what I read and was told by the doc at the travel clinic... If you have no vaccination you must immediately (within 24 hours I think) get an immunoglobulin injection plus some more shots. With prior vaccine you save yourself the immunoglobulin shot. The vaccination costs hundreds, needs to be given over a period of a month or more and only lasts five years or so. I think I got that right but don't quote me. The jist is in a developed country i think it's very unlikely that the cat had rabies and infected you and a human rabies vaccination is not worth it in most cases. If it happened within a day and you're really worried you could look into the immunoglobulin/shot treatment but I bet it's hella pricey and not covered unless the results come back and the cat is found to be rabid. They don't even recommend them if you're going to an area that actually has rabies UNLESS you plan to work with critters.


I, personally, would not worry about it (logically anyways). Next time you go for a drive, however... :)
Yep. I think it cost me $562 (some was covered by private insurance but not all), was 3 shots, one every... 3 weeks, I think? It says it covers for 5 years, but you titre after that, some people can do it once and never need to be revaccinated because it lasts their life.

I wouldn't suggest it, unless you're constantly around unvaccinated animals that are mean. :p the vaccines themselves aren't pleasant. At all.
 

Grab

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#9
I forgot to note that Rabies is not transmitted through blood.
 
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#11
Just saliva?

Weird.
Yup. I know. Very weird.

As far as the rabies vaccine goes...it doesn't mean that if you get bitten, you don't need treatment. When an unvaccinated person gets bitten, they receive four doses of the vaccine spaced apart, plus an immunoglobulin injection. If you're vaccinated, you just get two doses, no immunoglobulin.

The rabies vaccine is three doses (day zero, day 7, day 21/28), costs an arm and a leg, and hurts like hell. They say you should get titered every few years, and many employers will ask for it. I've never known anyone that's needed a second vaccine. I have instructor vets at school who got their vaccine 20+ years ago and still have high titres. Mine was done over two years ago and I still have high titers.
 
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#13
Generally speaking, if you get bitten or scratched on an extremity you should have time for the test to come back before you have to start the post-exposure stuff. BUT it depends on how fast the lab is, how busy they are, etc. Doesn't hurt to be safe.

I didn't think that the pre-exposure vaccines were that bad. They're interdermal (at least when I got mine they were), and my doctor's office at the time had the allergy nurse give them because she was best at interdermal injections, so maybe that's why? I don't remember them hurting at all, and my insurance at the time covered it. Yay me! :p

I've been told by multiple doctors that they pretty much last forever. I've occasionally had titers done (my state professional association offers it yearly, fairly inexpensively) and I am always off the charts, and mine would have been done somewhere around 1995 or 1996. I'm required by work to get a titer done every so many years, which I don't remember offhand but I think is 2 or 3. Anyway... /ramble
 

JennSLK

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#14
I'm confused. Why do you guys have to titre? Have you been exposed before? Why does your work require it? Maybe it's just because rabies is so rare here.



Auto correct sucks
 

Laurelin

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I didn't think that the pre-exposure vaccines were that bad. They're interdermal (at least when I got mine they were), and my doctor's office at the time had the allergy nurse give them because she was best at interdermal injections, so maybe that's why? I don't remember them hurting at all, and my insurance at the time covered it. Yay me! :p
I was talking about post-exposure rabies vaccines. They suck. I don't know if it's still the same, I was a kid when we had to get rabies shots.

The entire thing sucked. It was a big fiasco/mess. We were 99% sure the dog didn't have rabies but the testing was not able to be done because they sent the head to the wrong lab and then it got ruined. So we had to go through all the post exposure stuff as though the dog had rabies anyways.
 
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#18
I'm confused. Why do you guys have to titre? Have you been exposed before? Why does your work require it? Maybe it's just because rabies is so rare here.
Occupational hazards. It's a good idea if you're working with animals that have a questionable vaccination history - veterinary clinic, animal shelter, wildlife rehabilitation, zoos, etc. You titer to determine adequate protection so you don't have to get vaccinated again - it's way cheaper. The cost for me for the three initial injections was like $900, and the insurance brought it down to about $250 after we argued about it. My last (well, only) titer I only paid like $40 or $50.

The injection itself wasn't painful for me, it was after. I had a ton of pain in my whole arm, the injection site was red and swollen, and I ran a fever for a day or two. Blech.

ETA: The nurse/medical assistant that gave me the second injection told me when she walked in the room that she had never given a rabies vaccination before (we had to have the clinic order it because they didn't normally stock it), and asked me if the first one hurt? I said not initially, but I had a reaction afterwards. Her response? "Oh, that's a shame, since it's so pretty and pink!" :rolleyes:
 

JessLough

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#19
Yah, I had to stock the vaccines at home, and bring then to my doctor.

My doctor was pretty ****ing clueless, sucked at needles. Even though, it wasnt really the injection that hurt, but Ifelt sick a few days later, and my arm was sore to move.

And yah, had to get it for educational/occupational hazards. Even though rabies isn't commonhere (though, there was like 3 rrabies cases at my vet last month, which was quite alarming.)
 

Miakoda

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#20
It's an occupational hazard for me, I'm a veterinarian.
I didn't know you were a vet. :D


I got bitten by a stray cat when I was 7. I had to start the vaccinations until they could trap and test the cat. Turned out the cat did indeed have rabies.

As much as I can remember, I had been feeding it and one day, as I was out in my driveway, I just ran up to me and latched onto my arm. I rme,beer freaking out as it sink all four canines into my arm and scratched the crap out of my hand. I have nasty scars from it. My mom saw it happen, and she said it was just weird.

Since it was right smack in the middle of the 80's, the vaccines were done in the stomach. Those had me crying just as much as the bite.
 

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