The main reason I got the pre-exposure was that it is possible to get exposed without being bitten and not know it. Mine was $900 but insurance paid for most of it...I like the peace of mind. I can't remember the name of the company but it was an office near ATL airport that specialized in various vaccinations for people that travel out of the country.

$300 down here...cheap insurance.

Got mine in 95 or 96 they said I would need a booster every 3 to 5 years.have had titer checked every few years as of 2 years ago still didn't need a booster.Almost 20 years without a booster their not putting any more of that in me.i have talked to a few others that have gone a long time without a booster all from the same time period.

I'm pretty sure that it also protects family, friends, and customers if you bite them.

Rabies has been shown to be an airborn virus, per the NTA Trapping Manual, as in caving or crawling around in an attic with bat's.

Bob is right about the NTA manual but if I remember correctly rabies has never been proven to be airborne. Can you imagine the number

of cases if it were?

Several cavers died from Rabies in at least 2 separate incidents without having been bitten. FWIW. Is it worth taking a chance?
Also as it's highly recommended that post exposure shot's be given if a bat is found in the house where people have been sleeping, is this from fear of not knowing if you've been bitten or just breathing the air?

I know about one incident where several cavers died because the cave held "ten of millions of infected bats". Their coughing and

spitting was so intense that the damp air of the cave was infected. And no, it's not worth taking a chance. I can't for the life of

me understand why any caver would not have the vaccinations. Their chance of getting bit is probably higher than anyone's.

Oh lord we'd all long since been dead if rabies were airborne!

A very sane topic has now gone insane.

How many cavers go in caves every year loaded with bats? How many nwcos and homeowners crawl into crawl spaces laced with skunks?

If you've been bitten by a bat and didn't notice it you'd better get your to a neurologist folks! Bat bites are sharp and painful.

This topic was hashed out months ago if memory serves me. This has gone from why get pre exposure to an excerpt from the brad pit movie about rabid zombies!

Yikes!

*******

Think about the truth about rabies versus reality of how we live with all of these vector species...

Think!!!


Better be wearing a respirator for every mammalian rabies vector you work with folks...

Your all doing that right?

There are plenty of articles of people being infected from airborne rabies from spalunkers in caves to laboratory workers...I was always taught that once the rabie virus hit the air (oxygen)it would be dead shortly after ....I don't know what to think anymore after reading these articles..

Heat kills rabies. Rabies is not a very hardy organism compared to other things like Tb.

I've been to CDC for rabies training. No one is wearing a respirator for this kind of work.

Also worked as part of national rabies projects again, gloves are the required ppe. No respirator.

Quite seriously we would all be dead or fighting for our lives if airborne rabies was occurring outside of crazy circumstances.

You'd never hear about the flu or chicken pox or measles or even ebola.

I understand that the Rabies Virus will die after a few minutes in sunlight, and that it's not recommended to get too close to the opening of a Skunk/Raccoon den because of the danger of inhaling the Virus. Anybody have thoughts on this?

BigBob, sunlight and temp extreme both kill it, with roadkill surveillance we had to acquire a brain sample in a very short period when temps are over a certain level. Rabies doesn't like it outside of that small zone.

Again with the den sites, how many guys would be dead from coon hunting and den trees and from crawling into crawl spaces and attics?

Forget our industry how about plumbers, hvac and so many other trades who have to crawl into these areas that have often live animals in them without knowing? Do you see folks dying on the news of rabies from
this?

This would be major headlines, seriously, I'm not trying to make fun of it, just sit and think, let alone how many homeowners who have older homes and the air from the crawlspace and attic are part of the air in the home.

So many would be dead if this was the case.

With cavers in the earlier posts, how many public lands caves would be open to public use by the cave community and the general public if airborne rabies was killing cavers?

No public cave would be open outside of research with a permit and ppe including respirators if this was common.

Doesn't this make sense to anyone?

I know a ton of folks in the NSS and they all cave without masks, to an earlier point, they also do not touch or mess with bats, if they belong to caving communities they are taught and educate others to not harm or bother
bats and other fauna of the cave and they protect cave ecosystems through their work and groups.

How about we just talk about rabies for what it is to NWCO's, which is about being bitten, being drooled on, etc...

Or if you really want the answers and don't believe me, give a holler to CDC and tell them you believe rabies is airborne in skunk and raccoon dens and caves and get the straight scoop and report back here with quotes.

Good points HD

Well, now you guys did it and got Justin all fired up. lol

While I've heard theories that rabies is spread by air, between skunks in the dens, there are so few cases of human rabies in the US and none of them seem to be associated with skunk and raccoon dens that it's not something I worry about.

I got the shots because I handle the animals. When all was said and done, I think I paid $175 for the shots. That's cheap peace of mind.

If I were to get bit or end up handling an animal that I thought might be rabid I would certainly head to the doctor.

With that being said, I've stuck my face in enough skunk dens to know that it's not the healthiest of air and I really try to avoid such behavior. I expect there's a lot more to worry about than rabies.

SGS,

Sometimes I just can't help myself... What can I say I'm passionate about the field.



I think you are right on in getting the shots for the what if...

I also have known many folks who have been bitten and knew it by a variety of potential vectors and never sought treatment.

At least with the pre shots you have some buffer.

Joe (swampdonkey) I know I saw a post this morning and read it but its gone, anyway, I was going to google up to see what pops out of the internet.

However I happened to already be corresponding with an authority on another subject and so I threw this question over to him about aersolized rabies
and the cases with the two cavers way back when.

The response was this:

********

Other than a lab mishap in New York, there is no proven aerosol transmission of rabies virus. The only thing that some people cling to are some papers describing two deaths in the 1950’s of bat biologists in a densely populated cave. What people arguing for aerosol transmission leave out is that these two biologists banded more than 10,000 bats in the year prior to their death. Exposures occurring during these activities are much more believable compared to aerosol theory.

********

I won't quote who said this, but suffice to say if you know me I don't have a reason to lie that this person comes from an authoritative ability on this subject, in our country there is none higher.

I had always imagined though I didn't know the background that those two biologists (cavers) were actually interacting with bats, but this is confirmation of that. Even with a very low rabies percentage
in wild bat populations, handle 10,000 and I'm betting you are stacking the odds against yourself.

Add in that we are talking 1950's, which wasn't at the level of our knowledge of disease transmission, ppe, etc...

Anyway, thought folks would appreciate the concise answer that was provided to me.

Best,

Justin

Jusitn ...Thanks...I deleted it because I didn't want it to seem like I was trying to bug you....That wasn't the case...Thanks again...
But handling 10,000 bats a whole year earlier , certainly wouldn't have anything to do with their deaths a year later...would the virus lay dormant in 2 people like that ?

Either way....Just sayin...im curious..

Would you guys please cut it out. I'm trying to write a column on rabies and every time one of you posts, I have to go back and

change it. It would be easier to write about a cure for Alzheimer's. ( Which I'm getting from writing this column )