Comments on: Rabies in the Old West (In the Time of Jonah Hex)

By: aljer

aljer — Mon, 31 May 2010 01:24:47 +0000

can a rabies last a year?

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 15:07:15 +0000

They were quite painful years ago. The series were given thru the center of your navel. I have been thru them

By: EmmaB

EmmaB — Sun, 31 May 2009 20:36:01 +0000

The shots have to be started before any symptoms begin. If the biting animal is available to quarantine/observation or testing, then the shots should be delayed a little until the animal’s rabies evaluation is done. If the animal is not available, then the decision on whether to give shots will be based on a risk evaluatioon based on the animal’s species, the part of the world you were in when bitten, the animal’s behavior, etc. In general, if a rabies expose is known to have occurred, shots should be started ASAP. If rabies shots are needed but have been delayed, the doctor will still want to start them.

By: OhKen

OhKen — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 19:02:50 +0000

A few years ago I was bitten while jogging by a strange dog who disappeared into the woods. My skin was barely broken, but enough to bleed a small amount at a couple of punctures, and the county medical office suggested that I get rabies shots. As I recall it was six shots, in the arm, and they hurt less than the tetanus booster I also had to get…..

I’m curious – how late in the development of rabies can the vaccine be given effectively?

By: Chris Laffoon

Chris Laffoon — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 21:51:38 +0000

Rabies…gotta love it. The only disease to scare the cr@p out of me (Cujo). BTW…love your blog, it’s one of my daily visits and I thought I’d just let you know. Happy ChristmaHannaKwanzica and Merry New Rotational Cycle.

By: Scott

Scott — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 14:50:26 +0000

Oliver,
One of the resources I was using, the 2006 edition of 5-Minute Clinical Consult, notes “only four survivors reported in the world literature.” Another source reported that with the exception of the young woman who was intentionally put in a coma, the “few” other survivors were left with severe brain damage.

Siskoid,
The old rabies shots were a series of fourteen (give or take a few) injections in the belly. The patient you remember had been bitten and was getting shots to prevent rabies. Thankfully, a few years ago a new vaccine was developed that doesn’t require so many shots.

By: Siskoid

Siskoid — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 14:15:50 +0000

Brrr. You really know how to take a guy out of the holiday spirit.

I used to work (or hang around) in my dad’s clinic when I was a kid, and I once met a man who had rabbies and had to come in for shots. Do I misremember? Or were his days counted?

By: Oliver Townshend

Oliver Townshend — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 08:46:00 +0000

I’m fascinated by the idea of up to 4 survivors. Ever. Wikipedia mentions one (a girl put into an induced Coma), but I can’t find anything else. Any references?