vaccination for rabies

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hello there,

I am going to india, and thinking about getting a rabies vaccination. I read now about rabies that it attacks your neurology and that it has some side effects.

Due to my AS I am now concerned about the side effects. It could be that normal neurology people face very few side effects, but due to my AS neurology I face huge side effects. Maybe it affects me differently and no one ever tested that

So, did anyone do vaccination for rabies and has faced any serious side effects?

thanks alot,

anton

Well, whatever side effects you get, they'd be better than getting rabies. Only two people have ever survived that disease.

I've never been vaccinated for rabies, but I do keep up with other vaccinations--flu, tetanus, y'know, that kind of thing. And of course my cats get their rabies vax every year. Tiny's first shot had him tired for a day, but other than that, they never showed side effects.

You can be vaccinated after exposure. Rabies takes long enough to get through your nervous system that if you go to the doctor right away after being bitten, you can get immunized and protect yourself. Vets and anybody who works with bats are usually vaccinated beforehand, because bats can transmit it without you really noticing, and vets just get bitten often enough that it makes sense.

If you want the "just in case" version, I would suggest: Schedule the vaccinations on a Friday. If your immune system kicks in and makes you feel crappy for a few days, you'll have the weekend to recover. I believe it is a multi-vaccine series; so remember that the second one may well be the one that makes you feel worst, because the first one tells your immune system what to fight, and by the second one it's starting to get ready to do so--resulting in the tiredness, fever, and achiness of a typical vaccine reaction.

I don't know whether India has a high rate of rabies. If they do, and you will be in places where it'll be difficult for you to get to a doctor, then getting the vaccine makes a lot of sense. Will you be in small towns or in the country? If you're gonna be in the city, near hospitals, I wouldn't worry--if you got bitten you could just go to a hospital afterward. English is a very common second language there, and highly educated people like doctors tend to know it, so I wouldn't worry about not being able to explain what happened.

If you have ever had a severe reaction to a vaccine before, I would suggest you get the vaccinations before you go, if you are going to get them, because that way you can stick with the doctors who are familiar with you and your health, instead of having to go to a new one in India.

The problems to watch out for with vaccine reactions include:
Feeling as sick as you usually do with the flu--high fever (102 or more), chills, exhaustion. Call the doctor if that happens. He'll probably just say "take some ibuprofen and get some rest", but y'know, better safe than sorry.

Allergic reactions. Hives, usually. Anaphylactic shock is possible if you are severely allergic (you would know about this already, if you are). Do NOT get the egg-based version if you're allergic.

If you are worried about allergic reactions, stick around at the doctor's office for an hour. They'll show themselves by then, and you can get immediate treatment.

The modern rabies vaccine is no longer made from neural tissue--it's grown in eggs, or in human cell cultures. So don't worry about the possibility of any symptoms related to that.

Effectiveness... two to three years. If you'll be there longer, I guess get a booster.

Have fun in India. Can I ask what you'll be doing over there? Studying? Visiting relatives? Sounds fascinating--I live in the US and I haven't left the country in ages. I wish I could visit India.

You can also minimise the risk by not petting and not feeding animals, regardless if you are in a city or in the wild - just stay as far away from all of them as you can. However, that does not stop you from being attacked by say, some stray dogs.

The rabies vaccine is primarily used as an immediate protection against rabies and is probably mandatory for people going to Asia to work with animals, it can also be taken in a day or two after getting bit by an animal, but if you cannot get an inoculation within that time - "goodbye and thanks for playing". There is no cure for a fully blown rabies infection, all you can expect is death.

It is your life and you choose what risk you want to take.

Last edited by Ichinin on 28 Oct 2011, 4:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.

That might be the way to play the hand. And I really think that's the standard approach.

Okay, as far as a head of time vaccine, as I understand it, the main side effects to any vaccine are:

outside chance of Guillain-Barre, esp if you've had it before,

egg sensitivity or allergy, as most vaccines use an egg base.

I've just been vaccinated for rabies (5 shots in one month). I've experienced some headaches and muscle aches but it wasn't so bad. I haven't noticed any other side effects.

I can remember thinking and asking myself, why am I smarter than most people? Maybe most people have had some kind of sub-clinical brain damage and I need to be careful.

And one of the good things about finding out about Asperger's and Autism Spectrum is deciding, no, most people are just fine. Most people are smart in their own way, and I'm smart in my own way. I just wish my own ways of being smart were more appreciated but that's a topic for another discussion.

I think we are more sensitive to physical symptoms than many people. Many Aspies are pretty much confined to bed for a simple fever-and-aches vaccine reaction that wouldn't faze an NT much. That's why I recommended getting the vaccines on Fridays, if you could; you'd have the weekend to sleep it off, if you needed it.

whats the point of your reply? you think i have some sort of "being special" feeling? - i think this is is not necessarily in my text, you read it like that?

greets,
anton

I took my fifth dose about an hour ago (Random!), and I have not experienced any major effects. I've felt slightly less energetic, but nothing else. The tetanus vaccine caused more muscle ache than any of the rabies shots did.

This thread reminds me of 28 days later, where a form of super rabies turns people into aggressive fast zombies :S

hi there,

thanks for your nice replies. Before, I was not sure, if I should mention AS to the doctor or not.

At least I know now that at least 2 persons with AS survived this vaccination, (while maybe 10 others turned crazy at the same time .... ), that's fine! I really feel much more relaxed now to go to the doctor.

thank you, you are a kind bunch

anton

I hope all goes well for you, anton.

A bat got into my apartment last year and since it was night time and I woke up to find it at the head of my bed, public health required myself and my cats to get rabies vaccinations.

Actually, the first doctor I went to just laughed at me and called me bat man.

When I actually got to see my family doctor, she booked me for the rabies vaccine series.

It hurt, especially the four shots I had to get the first time, which were in my butt and thighs. After that, the arm shots were easy. The only side effect I even noticed was that my arm hurt the next day.

I got it when I was 7, it caused my Aspergers, lol. I don't recall any side effects.

This is something I used to worry about. It's one of my issues.

Nothing in your original post indicated it was one of your issues.

I just took a flyer, just on the off chance that someone else reading this might have struggled with this worry, too. I probably should not have piggybacked off your post, and I'm sorry I did so.