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Pintail21 t1_izgks3g wrote

The antibodies wear off at different rates, so ensuring there is constant coverage is key. Also, the risk for pets are higher because they don't know what rabies are so they aren't going to avoid rabid animals. Another factor is the cost to test for those antibodies. I have received a bunch of polio shots because the same reason, and cost of the shot is a fraction of the cost for the test to see if I still have the antibodies, so my work mandates I get the shot just in case.

Also, rabies is an incredibly deadly disease. There has been only ONE documented survivor of rabies in all of human history and they put the victim into a coma for a month as a last ditch effort and it worked, although I think they still have serious brain damage. Rabies is NOT something to trifle with.

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lostbyconfusion t1_izkj9f2 wrote

Yeah, it's super expensive to test for antibodies. You need to if you're traveling to Hawaii with your pet. They don't have rabies and don't want it. My understanding is that your pet just needs the antibodies in their system, and a vaccine every 3 years is cheaper than the blood test to check.

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Skipper3943 t1_izhmus6 wrote

From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabies

As of 2016, only fourteen people were documented to have survived a rabies infection after showing symptoms. However, research conducted in 2010 among a population of people in Perú with a self-reported history of one or more bites from vampire bats (commonly infected with rabies), found that out of 73 individuals reporting previous bat bites, 7 people had rabies virus-neutralizing antibodies (rVNA). Since only one member of this group reported prior vaccination for rabies, the findings of the research suggest previously undocumented cases of infection and viral replication followed by an abortive infection. This could indicate that in rare cases people may have an exposure to the virus without treatment and develop natural antibodies as a result.

At least two treatment schemes have been proposed for treating rabies after the onset of symptoms, the Milwaukee Protocol and the Recife Protocol. The Milwaukee Protocol was first used in 2004 on Jeanna Giese, who became the first person known to have survived rabies without preventive treatments before symptom onset. The protocol puts a person into a chemically induced coma and uses antiviral medications to prevent fatal dysautonomia. The overall protocol is complex; the sixth version of the protocol last updated in 2018 consists of 17 pages with 22 steps of treatment, detailed monitoring, and a timeline of expected complications. The Recife Protocol follows the same principle but differs in details like termination of sedation and supplementary medication.

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Pintail21 t1_izjg3js wrote

That Peru study is interesting, thanks for sharing that!

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