Do I Get Rabies Jabs?

[el gaucho]

Hi all,

I'm travelling to Thailand only, for the month of December.

I've got my Typhoid and Hep A jabs

I'm getting conflicting info on wether or not to get the course of Rabies jabs.

I intend to spend some time in Bangkok, then head north to Chang Mai, maybe Chang Rai: maybe do a 2-3 day organised trek, then heading south to the western islands.

So....do I bother spending the £120, or is it not necessary?

Thanks in advance!

EG.

[davethailand]

Hi all,

I'm travelling to Thailand only, for the month of December.

I've got my Typhoid and Hep A jabs

I'm getting conflicting info on wether or not to get the course of Rabies jabs.

I intend to spend some time in Bangkok, then head north to Chang Mai, maybe Chang Rai: maybe do a 2-3 day organised trek, then heading south to the western islands.

So....do I bother spending the £120, or is it not necessary?

Thanks in advance!

EG.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Don't bother, if you get bitten by a dog here (chances are slim) its easily taken care of.

[Sulaphat]

Rabies jabs are not necessary unless you get bitten, which is a fairly remote possibility.

Stay away from dogs (2 and 4 legged) and you should have a good time.

[surin]

Hi all,

I'm travelling to Thailand only, for the month of December.

I've got my Typhoid and Hep A jabs

I'm getting conflicting info on wether or not to get the course of Rabies jabs.

I intend to spend some time in Bangkok, then head north to Chang Mai, maybe Chang Rai: maybe do a 2-3 day organised trek, then heading south to the western islands.

So....do I bother spending the £120, or is it not necessary?

Thanks in advance!

EG.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The other posts are correct....You have a short time to get a course of jabs after you've been bitten. If you get bitten by a carrier of the virus and don't get treatment, then there is nothing but certain death with no cure.

[el gaucho]

Surin: so you're saying not to bother? I mean...certain death!

[Richard W]

If you do get bitten, warn your physician back home that you'll be needing jabs. I got bitten six years ago, and discovered that my physician had difficulty getting hold of the vaccine back in England. You may be advised to carry the vaccine round with you if you do get bitten - you'll then need a vacuum flask for your ยาหมาบ้า. Small hotels will usually let you keep it overnight with the chilled soft drink cans.

On the bright side, Thai nurses inject much less painfully than British nurses.

[sbk]

Rabies shots are available in even the smallest local govt hospitals. You do not need to carry any around with you. You only need the shots if you get bitten by a dog or cat. Do not bother getting the shots beforehand as the chances of you getting bitten are slim .

[billd766]

Hi all,

I'm travelling to Thailand only, for the month of December.

I've got my Typhoid and Hep A jabs

I'm getting conflicting info on wether or not to get the course of Rabies jabs.

I intend to spend some time in Bangkok, then head north to Chang Mai, maybe Chang Rai: maybe do a 2-3 day organised trek, then heading south to the western islands.

So....do I bother spending the £120, or is it not necessary?

Thanks in advance!

EG.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Only if you bite the dog and it wasn't properly BBQed.

[Dickie]

£120?!? My course was two jabs each costing £25. They don't protect you from rabies but give you extra time to seek out the proper treatment. Without them you have, I think, 24 hours to get treated after a bite. This is extended to 72 hours if you have the course before going. If you are in towns only then it's probably not worth it, but if you are going trekking into the sticks then it may be worth considering unless you are certain you will be able to get to a hospital in time.

[el gaucho]

£120?!? My course was two jabs each costing £25. They don't protect you from rabies but give you extra time to seek out the proper treatment. Without them you have, I think, 24 hours to get treated after a bite. This is extended to 72 hours if you have the course before going. If you are in towns only then it's probably not worth it, but if you are going trekking into the sticks then it may be worth considering unless you are certain you will be able to get to a hospital in time.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks to all for the advice. I've decided not to get them and save the money. I'm being overly cautious.

Dickie: I dunno where you live mate, but here they're £40 a shot here: and its 3 shots to be fully covered. 2 after: if you're bitten.

[brianbrain]

£120?!? My course was two jabs each costing £25. They don't protect you from rabies but give you extra time to seek out the proper treatment. Without them you have, I think, 24 hours to get treated after a bite. This is extended to 72 hours if you have the course before going. If you are in towns only then it's probably not worth it, but if you are going trekking into the sticks then it may be worth considering unless you are certain you will be able to get to a hospital in time.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Dickie's advice is sound. Think I paid about 80GBP for my rabies jabs about two years ago. The price varies as they are not available "on the NHS" rather they are available through GP travel clinics. If you want to get the jabs and save some money, you could consider looking around.

Getting the jabs will give you peace of mind. If you are trekking and get bitten, you may find it difficult to reach a hospital within the 24 hours. If travelling in a group, how will the others react to you demanding to be taken to a hospital? Maybe it's just a scratch or a nip, so what will they say to you wanting their holiday cancelled? If you have 72 hours then the pressure is off. Incidentally, rabies is always fatal and it's a painful death.

[astral]

If you are unfortunate enough to be bitten by an animal while you are here the local hopsital will be able to handle the jabs.

Cost around 3000 baht for the full course.

[sbk]

Astral is absolutely right, even our pitiful hospital has rabies injections. It is available at every local hospital and probably also available at the Anamai (govt clinic) when a hospital isn't available. Getting rabies shots ahead of time is overkill (so to speak ).

[el gaucho]

Thanks again to all.

Decided to not get the jabs.

Overjabbing!