5 ms·

I encountered a bat many years ago acting erratically inside the house. It had evidently entered in my sleep. I looked up the cost, and found out the househol

I encountered a bat many years ago acting erratically inside the house. It had evidently entered in my sleep. I looked up the cost, and found out the household would be bankrupted by the shots and we would end up homeless. I calculated the danger from homelessness outweighed the risk of rabies. I guess the bet paid off, as we're now well past the 99th percentile of incubation period.

mongol 3y ago
Can you get rabies still, theoretically, from this event?
- AdamJacobMuller 3y ago
  Theoretically, yes. The infection can lie dormant for an exceptionally long period of time in an exceptionally small percent of cases and can be triggered by unrelated external factors.
- i386 3y ago
  I believe it’s only transmissible through saliva. Unless you are bitten by the infected animal you will be fine. https://www.cdc.gov/rabies/transmission/index.html https://www.cdc.gov/rabies/transmission/index.html
- dr_dshiv 3y ago
  25 years! https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3424805/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3424805/
klipklop 3y ago
Seems pretty remote chance to get rabies without being bit, but did you read the last paragraph? "The Aguilars wound up paying $3,546.64 out of pocket. The insurance company told us Wednesday that they "are reaching out to NorthBay Healthcare... to address these excessive charges."" The shot normally costs ~$600 USD. There is no way the insurance in the end will pay the $54k the hospital tried to get away with.
- notch898b 3y ago
  If I recall correctly we had no insurance at the time. I was able to afford to re-vaccinate my animal, as it's only $60 at the vet, I figured at least my pet would survive.
  - AdamJacobMuller 3y ago
    It would almost definitely have been cheaper for you, without insurance, than it was for this couple.
- AdamJacobMuller 3y ago
  > United Healthcare still paid more than $58,000 for the couple's rabies treatment They did.
  - klipklop 3y ago
    Says in the article they are contesting it. I am guessing in the end they will be made whole. The only more vicious actor in this situation is the insurance company.
- thaumaturgy 3y ago
  > Seems pretty remote chance to get rabies without being bit Just FYI, it's possible to get bit by a bat while sleeping and not realize it. Most bats are small and a bite mark may not be painful or immediately noticeable. There was a case in 2021 in Illinois of a man being bitten by a bat in his sleep; in his case, he realized he'd been bitten, but declined treatment (cost, probably...) and died of rabies a month later. Not a fun way to go. I've heard the advice before to get a prophylactic rabies shot if you find a bat trapped in your house while you were sleeping. ...in civilized countries, anyway. edit: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/06/02/480414566/bats-in-the-bedroom-can-spread-rabies-without-an-obvious-bite https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/06/02/4804145...
switchbak 3y ago
Dang. I don't have a lot of financial reasons to prefer living in Canada, but that's definitely one (for now at least). That's rough though, lucky you didn't get sick. It's not a choice I'd like to make.

mongol 3y ago

Can you get rabies still, theoretically, from this event?

AdamJacobMuller 3y ago
Theoretically, yes. The infection can lie dormant for an exceptionally long period of time in an exceptionally small percent of cases and can be triggered by unrelated external factors.
i386 3y ago
I believe it’s only transmissible through saliva. Unless you are bitten by the infected animal you will be fine. https://www.cdc.gov/rabies/transmission/index.html https://www.cdc.gov/rabies/transmission/index.html
dr_dshiv 3y ago
25 years! https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3424805/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3424805/

klipklop 3y ago

Seems pretty remote chance to get rabies without being bit, but did you read the last paragraph? "The Aguilars wound up paying $3,546.64 out of pocket. The insurance company told us Wednesday that they "are reaching out to NorthBay Healthcare... to address these excessive charges."" The shot normally costs ~$600 USD. There is no way the insurance in the end will pay the $54k the hospital tried to get away with.

notch898b 3y ago
If I recall correctly we had no insurance at the time. I was able to afford to re-vaccinate my animal, as it's only $60 at the vet, I figured at least my pet would survive.
- AdamJacobMuller 3y ago
  It would almost definitely have been cheaper for you, without insurance, than it was for this couple.
AdamJacobMuller 3y ago
> United Healthcare still paid more than $58,000 for the couple's rabies treatment They did.
- klipklop 3y ago
  Says in the article they are contesting it. I am guessing in the end they will be made whole. The only more vicious actor in this situation is the insurance company.
thaumaturgy 3y ago
> Seems pretty remote chance to get rabies without being bit Just FYI, it's possible to get bit by a bat while sleeping and not realize it. Most bats are small and a bite mark may not be painful or immediately noticeable. There was a case in 2021 in Illinois of a man being bitten by a bat in his sleep; in his case, he realized he'd been bitten, but declined treatment (cost, probably...) and died of rabies a month later. Not a fun way to go. I've heard the advice before to get a prophylactic rabies shot if you find a bat trapped in your house while you were sleeping. ...in civilized countries, anyway. edit: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/06/02/480414566/bats-in-the-bedroom-can-spread-rabies-without-an-obvious-bite https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/06/02/4804145...

switchbak 3y ago

Dang. I don't have a lot of financial reasons to prefer living in Canada, but that's definitely one (for now at least). That's rough though, lucky you didn't get sick. It's not a choice I'd like to make.