Rabies Alert

[MESmith]

Heard about this from a Thai friend yesterday.  

Just received this email from my doctor in Chiang Mai, thought I'd pass it on

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/home/2010/...s-30122939.html

According to the department of public health report recently about the death rabies case in bangkok.

The deceased came to Chiangmai to buy puppies and take them back to sell in JJ market in BKK.

The Lady was bitten by her rottweiler dog. The 8 puppies died at her own house in BKK.

The lady did not seek medical attention for rabies inoculation and contracted rabies and passed away a few months after the bite.

For those who are in close contact with cats and dogs, please seek urgent medical attention if you have been bitten. The rabies vaccine can be administered pre-exposure for those who are in constant contact with animals. (Animal caretaker, Vet, Breeder)

Take your pet for vaccination to prevent rabies this summer.

[dave2]

i can offer some up to date info on this subject coz im having anti rabies injections at the moment.

stupid i know but i cant stop playing or stroking the occasional soi dog or cat and one bit through my thumb nail and out the other side a few weeks ago .... that was painfull !

as you can see from page one of the inoculation record

pre bite .... its three totaly painless injections over 30 days @ about 600 baht each

after a bite ( page two ) ..... its five totaly painless injections over 30 days @ about 600 baht each and you are coverd for five years then you need a top up

thats it ... no pain ... no fuss ... no rabies

dave2

ps ... i have played with this beautifull black cat almost every day for three years so i know her and was trying to help her .

she didnt want my help so she bit me .... my fault maybe but shes back to normal now and at least i wont die of rabies : )

[PMNL]

It is a series of 3-shots on your arm for pre-exposure inoculation.

It is a series of 5-shots for post-exposure(Bitten) vaccination.

You should get tetanus boots as well if out of date(more than 5-10 years) in case of post-exposure.

[elektrified]

Are the injections in the stomach?

I may be wrong but I think they did away with that method years ago. I was bitten in the ear by a playful, stray dog when I was 3 years old and almost 50 years later I will never forget being being strapped to the table and held down by about 2 nurses and my mother while the doctor injected my stomach!

[PMNL]

It seems that if the bite is in the face,ear,nose,finger and hand with severe laceration,then one would need the ERIC injection ( Passive immunization) around the bite site,tummy.

If the bitten wound is small and far from the nerve-rich area, then just shots on your arm are required.

[dave2]

vibe.

re .... Are the injections in the stomach?

nahhh ... they are totally painless in your right arm,

i had a tetinus top up in my left arm that ached for a few days (a bit like a bruse ) after 20 years of no top up but lm fine now

dave2

bring on the soi cats and dogs coz i love them : )

[shaunoro]

If you get medical help within 24 hours of bite, you recieved "normal" injections in wound, arms and buttocks, with dsome follow up injections.

If you wait more than 24 hours you will have to have injections in the stomach.

Done this course of treatment twice.

[PMNL]

Rabies jabs for city pets after woman dies from bite

Published: 21/02/2010 at 12:00 AM

Newspaper section: News

City Hall is preparing 400,000 doses of the rabies vaccine for dogs and cats in Bangkok to prevent the spread of the disease among animals during the hot season.

The move is aimed at allaying public fears after the owner of a pet shop at Chatuchak Weekend Market died from rabies on Feb 14.

The woman was a Public Health Ministry official and owner of the Take Care Pet Shop at the market. She died from rabies after being bitten by one of her dogs.

Apirom Puanghat, a veterinarian at the Bureau of General Communicable Diseases, said the victim bought dogs from a pet farm in Chiang Mai province to sell at the weekend market. She was bitten by a three-year-old Rottweiler. The dog later died, followed by another eight pets at the victim's house, Dr Apirom said.

Bangkok Deputy Governor Malinee Sukavejworakit said 400,000 doses of the rabies vaccine will be available free in Bangkok from next month to control the disease which is prevalent among dogs and cats during the summer. Strays will also be caught and injected, she said. Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra and Bangkok health authorities yesterday inspected pet shops at Chatuchak market.

MR Sukhumbhand said the vaccination campaign would allay public concern and boost confidence among owners of pet shops and customers buying pets. In the initial phase, at least 100 dogs and cats at the market would be vaccinated and certificates issued for pets vaccinated against rabies, he said.

He said authorities will also inspect pet shops to see if they have proper operating licences.

MR Sukhumbhand said pet owners can also bring their dogs and cats in for free rabies jabs at the market.

Aroon Sricharoon, director of Chatuchak market, said he would meet 300 pet shop owners to stress the importance of acquiring operating licences.

He said those who have no licences will be prohibited from selling pets in the market. A penalty for violators will be a 2,000-baht fine.

Phra Maha Vichai Akkhatecho, the abbot of Wat Weluwanaram in Lampang's Mae Tha district, where 400 abandoned dogs are looked after, said the death was worrying. He has asked district health officials to inject the dogs at the temple with the rabies vaccine.

So far this year six people have died from rabies, compared with 24 last year and nine in 2008, according to the Public Health Ministry.

People are urged to contact the BMA's hotline 1555 or call 02-245-3311 if they suspect their pets are infected with rabies.

From Bangkokpost

[mcgriffith]

Rabies has a 100% fatality rate, if not treated immediately, within 24-48 hours.

If you Wiki this you will see that there are only 1 or 2 people, out of many millions infected, who survived without immediate treatment. Honest.

Modern treatments are inter muscular, upper arm.

I've read many articles from WHO and Thai medical agencies on this. There are estimates that put the infection rate among feral (soi) dogs as high as 40% in Thailand.

Many of the victims are small children, who are more vulnerable to bite attacks.

How do I know all this? I was bitten by an Alsatian hybrid in a soi off Tapae Road 4 years ago. The doctor at CM Ram spelled out all the above to me, and of course I read up on it online as well.

I had a series of 5 injections, and I am covered for quite a while now.

This is not something to fool around with.

Funny that people get all kinds of immunizations for esoteric diseases (Japanese encephalitis, etc.) and forget about this one.

The doctor told me in no uncertain terms:

"If you do not start treatment now, and you have been infected with rabies- you will die".

End quote.

[neverdie]

Rabies has a 100% fatality rate, if not treated immediately, within 24-48 hours.

If you Wiki this you will see that there are only 1 or 2 people, out of many millions infected, who survived without immediate treatment. Honest.

Modern treatments are inter muscular, upper arm.

I've read many articles from WHO and Thai medical agencies on this. There are estimates that put the infection rate among feral (soi) dogs as high as 40% in Thailand.

Many of the victims are small children, who are more vulnerable to bite attacks.

How do I know all this? I was bitten by an Alsatian hybrid in a soi off Tapae Road 4 years ago. The doctor at CM Ram spelled out all the above to me, and of course I read up on it online as well.

I had a series of 5 injections, and I am covered for quite a while now.

This is not something to fool around with.

Funny that people get all kinds of immunizations for esoteric diseases (Japanese encephalitis, etc.) and forget about this one.

The doctor told me in no uncertain terms:

"If you do not start treatment now, and you have been infected with rabies- you will die".

End quote.

HOLY <deleted> , I had no idea about this. Thanks for the info!

[heybruce]

Rabies has a 100% fatality rate, if not treated immediately, within 24-48 hours.

If you Wiki this you will see that there are only 1 or 2 people, out of many millions infected, who survived without immediate treatment. Honest.

Modern treatments are inter muscular, upper arm.

I've read many articles from WHO and Thai medical agencies on this. There are estimates that put the infection rate among feral (soi) dogs as high as 40% in Thailand.

Many of the victims are small children, who are more vulnerable to bite attacks.

How do I know all this? I was bitten by an Alsatian hybrid in a soi off Tapae Road 4 years ago. The doctor at CM Ram spelled out all the above to me, and of course I read up on it online as well.

I had a series of 5 injections, and I am covered for quite a while now.

This is not something to fool around with.

Funny that people get all kinds of immunizations for esoteric diseases (Japanese encephalitis, etc.) and forget about this one.

The doctor told me in no uncertain terms:

"If you do not start treatment now, and you have been infected with rabies- you will die".

End quote.

HOLY <deleted> , I had no idea about this. Thanks for the info!

If you need further motivation, it's my understanding that it's a horribly painful death as well.

I love dogs and cats, but if I'm bitten by one I'm going straight to the nearest hospital.

[crudski]

i can offer some up to date info on this subject coz im having anti rabies injections at the moment.

pre bite .... its three totaly painless injections over 30 days @ about 600 baht each

after a bite ( page two ) ..... its five totaly painless injections over 30 days @ about 600 baht each and you are coverd for five years then you need a top up

Where did you get these prices for the pre-bite injections?Do they do these at the likes of RAM and Suan Dok?600bahtx3 is a really good price as i was quoted £180 from my GP in the UK.

[dave2]

crudski.

re ... Where did you get these prices for the pre-bite injections?

from doctor morgan herself at hang dong road surgery two weeks before i was bitten !

stupidly i said ok ill think about it ... if i had said yes there and then ( she keeps the vaccine in stock ) i would have saved 1200 baht by only having three injections ... not the five im getting now

its 600 baht pre bite and after bite injections there is no difference

re ... Do they do these at the likes of RAM and Suan Dok?

im sure you can but im sorry ... i dont know !

i was bitten at about 11 in the morning ... went home to clean it up and phoned doctor morgan ..... she said come now and i had the first injection at 12

ive had three now as you can see and i can assure you the are 600 baht each !

nowhere near 180 quid for the full course

dave2

[mcgriffith]

Yeah, I had five at Ram, as mentioned above.

Go to emergency room, ask the nurse on duty for rabies treatment.

They'll set you up.

I recall paying a little more at Ram, maybe 800 per visit. Probably cheaper at a small clinic, or at your family physician's.

(I got the same Verorab immunization record card that dave2 showed above).