3 ms·

Additionally: Rabies treatment doesn't guarantee survival, it's really a crap shoot Rabies treatment can cost $22k out-of-pocket [1] [1] https://www.webmd.co

Additionally: Rabies treatment doesn't guarantee survival, it's really a crap shoot Rabies treatment can cost $22k out-of-pocket [1] [1] https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/news/20180220/the-high-cost-of-surviving-rabies https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/news/20180220/the-high-c... In a very USA way, this guy might have been forced to choose between death-by-rabies and leaving something for his descendants.

buescher 5y ago
If you're 80 in the USA, you're on Medicare. In the article you link, a Medicare patient paid $186 for treatment.
SideburnsOfDoom 5y ago
I understand that rabies treatment promptly after the bite ( "post-exposure prophylaxis" ) has a very good track record. (1) But if you leave it until symptoms start, it's pretty much a death sentence. A terrible, agonising death, too. (2) There are also vaccines, that can be taken pre-exposure. What I did not know is that they date back to 1885 (3) 1: > Existing vaccine regimens for rabies PEP are close to 100% effective and WHO-prequalified vaccines are highly effective. The expected number of rabies deaths in patients receiving PEP after a confirmed rabies exposure is fortunately extremely low. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264410X18315421 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264410X1... 2: > As of 2016, only fourteen people had survived a rabies infection after showing symptoms. Rabies causes about 56,000 deaths worldwide per year https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabies https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabies 3: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabies_vaccine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabies_vaccine
Finnucane 5y ago
That's why capturing the animal and prompt testing is important. If you get treated/shots right away, your prognosis is good. If you wait until the disease starts to affect you, your chances go way down.
- SideburnsOfDoom 5y ago
  > If you wait until the disease starts to affect you, your chances go way down. This is an understatement: "Rabies causes about 56,000 deaths worldwide per year. As of 2016, only fourteen people had survived a rabies infection after showing symptoms."

buescher 5y ago

If you're 80 in the USA, you're on Medicare. In the article you link, a Medicare patient paid $186 for treatment.

SideburnsOfDoom 5y ago

I understand that rabies treatment promptly after the bite ( "post-exposure prophylaxis" ) has a very good track record. (1) But if you leave it until symptoms start, it's pretty much a death sentence. A terrible, agonising death, too. (2) There are also vaccines, that can be taken pre-exposure. What I did not know is that they date back to 1885 (3) 1: > Existing vaccine regimens for rabies PEP are close to 100% effective and WHO-prequalified vaccines are highly effective. The expected number of rabies deaths in patients receiving PEP after a confirmed rabies exposure is fortunately extremely low. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264410X18315421 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264410X1... 2: > As of 2016, only fourteen people had survived a rabies infection after showing symptoms. Rabies causes about 56,000 deaths worldwide per year https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabies https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabies 3: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabies_vaccine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabies_vaccine

Finnucane 5y ago

That's why capturing the animal and prompt testing is important. If you get treated/shots right away, your prognosis is good. If you wait until the disease starts to affect you, your chances go way down.

SideburnsOfDoom 5y ago
> If you wait until the disease starts to affect you, your chances go way down. This is an understatement: "Rabies causes about 56,000 deaths worldwide per year. As of 2016, only fourteen people had survived a rabies infection after showing symptoms."