Just skinning, fleshing leaves the animals residue all over your hands and cloths and tools. Any saliva or joint fluid is the tissue carrying the virus, correct? Is it a good idea for all trappers to get vaccinated against rabies? Seems logical. Any cut in the skin, even a split cuticle would be enough to transmit, touching your hands to your face. My question I guess is what is the rule of thumb, I think about it every time I'm skinning out a predator.

Best advice would be to have a discussion with your doctor to assess the overall risks in the environment you trap in .

As in the health care arena, I personally double glove to minimize accidental and incidental contact with a dead animal. Rabies is not the only nasty that can be passed on to humans.

For myself, based on the animals, area, and the precautions I take in handling animals; my doctor feels the risk is extremely low in contracting the virus and is not recommending the vaccination at this time. We reevaluate each year at my annual health exam based on environmental statistics. In addition if exposed, whether vaccinated or not, you get the shots. That being said, she would be willing to order and administer the pre-exposure vaccination for peace of mind if I wanted it. The pre-exposure vaccination is expensive ($$$$) and not generally covered by health insurance.

Rabies has a shorter term viability outside of a living host animal. At 70 f, the virus dies within 24 hours in the body of a infected, dead animal. Once saliva of an infected animal has dried, saliva is no longer a viable transmission vector.

I got the pre exposure vaccines last year. The CDC specifically lists trappers as a risk category. It took a little explaining to the doctor, and I had to go to the specialty vaccine at the hospital clinic, but it was covered by insurance.

The vast majority of medical doctors who were trained and practice in the USA are pretty ignorant when it comes to rabies because it is so rare here. A few infectious disease specialists are more well versed in the use of rabies vaccines both before and after exposure. Veterinarians are also more knowledgeable about rabies than most MDs. Drs who practice in 3rd world countries are generally far more knowledgeable concerning rabies because it is far more prevalent in those countries than it is here.

For the last 15 years, there have been a total of 130 confirmed rabies positives in the county where I live. Raccoons, skunks and bats accounted for 110 of that total. And that is just for the ones that were tested. How many more were carriers that were not showing symptoms that led to a test? Or died from the disease and were not observed?

How many more were suspected but never tested? I personally had that happen. A skunk got in my dog pen and was chasing my dog around. It finally followed me across the yard and up the steps and looked in the storm door as I was getting a gun. After it wondered away from the house, I killed the skunk with a shotgun, placed a 5 gallon bucket over the carcass and called animal control. They came an made a report and took the carcass but did not get it tested because we determined there was no possible human exposure. My dog was current on his rabies vaccination and still had to get a booster. Animal control and I were both sure the skunk was rabid but without possible human exposure, they did not get it tested so it did not get included in the statistics.

I have since had the pre exposure rabies vaccine and have the recommended level of immunity as confirmed by a titer test every couple of years. If I have a confirmed exposure, I will need a booster rather than the post exposure protocol.

The virus is out there and is more prevalent in some states than others and definitely in animals that we deal with as trappers. It is also virtually 100% fatal and once symptoms show up it is too late for treatment.

My insurance paid most of the cost for my pre exposure shots. But I consider what I had to pay out of pocket cheap insurance considering the what could happen. YMMV

Rabies vaccine like every other is a personal choice. Not sure how many years ago it was now. My son was diagnosed with Cat Scratch Fever. Yes it's a real deal not just a Song.
That meant the wife and I had a meeting with county vector control doctor. Which lucky for us was some what of a trapper himself. Anyways my first question was did my son get exposed from the critters I dragged home to skin. Answer to that was No. Most likely from the farm cats he played with while riding alone with me while trapping. I stopped BS with farmers and son played with cats always under feet.
So when this doctor found out I was doing a lot of skunk handling and I ask about rabies vaccine. He said certainly wouldn't hurt to get it done was in my best interest to do so. I checked with my insurance and at that time with doctors recommended. They paid most all of it except a co-pays. So I went got it done. When I got to the time when I was supposed to test the tider. My doctor said the price of the tider test vs booster was kind of a wash. So I just did the booster instead of testing and then maybe pay again for the booster. My doctor's have never given me any grief about doing it. It's usually the insurance people that balk. Then you need to decide based on your personal values.
With the current fur market and my current physical limits. I haven't bothered to get the booster up dated I'm comfortable with that.

It's like everything else decide for yourself, flip the coin if it makes you feel better.

Mac

"Never Forget Which Way Is Up!"

I got the post exposure shots after cutting myself fairly deep while skinning around the head on a coon. I knew it was a low risk exposure, but I talked to several doctors, the county agent, and a vet anyway. I also read up on it at the NIH and CDC. I can tell you it's hard to get a concensus of opinions on it. The determining factors for me were 99.99% fatal and it was too late once symptoms appeared.

You had the raccoon. Why did you not just get it tested? No shots needed if test is negative. If positive, get shots.

I didn't think about it until the next day. Carcass was already disposed of. Plus, I had a hard time the next day even finding out who to take it to to be tested.

Also, I had been discussing getting the pre-exposure shots with the wife for the past couple of years anyway. Just kinda gave me the nudge to go ahead and get it.

If your county health department or local vet doesn't know where to get the test done at they should be reprimanded

The pre exposure and the post exposure are very different protocols. Huge difference in cost too with post being far more expensive.

But the post prevents the virus from entering your central nervous system and also provides future immunity.

I assume you had the post exposure series with the rabies immunoglobulin applied to the wound and injected.

Thank you for your opinions and insight. I guess a little research is in order. I have no bias towards anyone who chooses to or not to get a vaccine.