Humans and Rabies
Rabies in humans is a very real thing but when was the last time you even thought about it? I know I didn’t think about it until I was attacked by a bat (keep reading).
The movie ‘Old Yeller’ is probably one of the most resent depictions of what a real disease rabies is and we don’t think twice about inoculating our dogs and cats every year for it – but what about you?
We never give another thought to the treatment of rabies or the potential of catching rabies. Wow, are we missing out on a really important message.
Big brown bat hanging over my bed - look how dirty he is.
Let me back up a little. Last year I was at my cottage for a couple of weeks and I have known for a long time there were bats in the attic and walls of the old house (build post Boar War by a surviving soldier). They are wonderful to have around during bug season and keep the blackflys and mosquitoes in check which can carry the often fatal SARS coronavirus.
I had called several exterminators to try and at least move them to the shed but because the house is far from town – there was very little interest in the part of the company’s to come out and try to get them out of the house.
Bats are protected by the Dept. of Wildlife and so they need to be removed in a non-fatal way.
I read every brochure put out by everyone from Public Health to Exterminators and the bottom line was – you can try and give them an inhospitable environment (ie tons of mothballs) but the likelihood is it wouldn’t work.
So I gave up on trying to get rid of them and except for the noise they make every morning after a night of partying – they don’t bother me much.
Well – except on hot days – when the roof heats up they do smell a bit. But its the cottage right? So its not that big of a deal right?
Last year I started some renovations and as a result there is a big hole around where the chimney goes through the roof. As well I pulled up the old sub-floor so the floor is just boards on joists. It actually looks rather rustic.
One morning there was a big fat bat hanging over the bed!
It wasn’t there when I got up and I had gotten up early like I often do when I am at the cottage in the woods. The mornings are breathless and I enjoy every minute of them. Sometime between getting up and going back upstairs for something the bat had come in and roosted over the bed.
I didn’t think much of it, captured it and took it outside.
Then I ran into a Doctor I know who went into a near speed wobble when I told her. “Bats carry the rabies virus” she excitedly exclaimed.
“I wasn’t bit” I said.
“You wouldn’t know” she insisted, “their claws and teeth are so razor sharp you would never feel it!”
“Really?” I was not believing her.
“Yes, if you have had contact with a bat you MUST have rabies shots, you can’t mess around with it – especially if they are acting strange like being in your bedroom!”
She was very insistent and I have to admit she scared me a little! I didn’t tell her there was a big hole in my bedroom ceiling.
I didn’t do anything though, I reasoned with myself that if a bat had scratched or bit me I would at least be itchy at the site, and besides – who wants to have rabies shots? I had too much going on and put the whole thing out of my mind.
Renovations weren’t finished before the end of last season, so I locked up the cottage for the winter a few days later and that was that.
This year I opened up as usual, and the first night here snuggled into my antique bed (there isn’t a bed on the market today that can replace this one. It hugs you all night long.)
I started to make plans to try and rid of the bats again and looked online for some exterminators, found one that looked promising and called. Then began to make plans to complete the renovations, unpacked the stuff I had brought and went about the day at the cottage.
That night I was sitting on the sofa, in front of the fire – enjoying the cold air around the raging fire and listening to the crickets outside making their evening ruckus. ~Heaven~
The tiny scratches where a bat hung off my hand in the morning drew blood - you can see where the claws had dug in.
Day two I wake up to my quiet house in the woods, the air is still outside. Cool and damp like the early spring morning it was and as I descended the stairs to the kitchen to make coffee I absent mindedly scratched an itch on my right hand. The itchy site was wet – I looked and there was blood.
Clearly visible were 8 tiny scratches – deeper at one end and my flesh had been rolled out of its spot and hanging at the shallow end of the scratches. My heart skipped a beat.
Bat bites!
Oh no!
I sat there and wracked my brain for most of the day to try and think of anything else they could be.
After washing and disinfecting the miniscule little scratches I realized it probably wasn’t bites but more likely scratches. My hand had probably been hanging over the bed and a bat had decided to hang off my hand. I did remember being jerked awake in the wee hours but don’t remember why. And bats are so stealth you never know they are there.
If these scratches hadn’t been where I could see them I would likely not have known.
If I had not spoken to the doctor the previous year (just by chance) about the bats in the house, I would not have been aware of the presence of rabies in our bat community.
After I conceded that the likelihood of these marks were indeed bat scratches I set about doing some research because at this point I am trying to find any reason at all to not go into the doctor.
Everyplace I look says rabies in humans is 100 percent fatal and the rabies shots given prior to the appearance of symptoms of rabies in humans has a 100 percent effective rate (at least in North America).
According to the Public Health Agency of Canada Incubation period of Rabies in Humans (time between the exposure and onset of symptoms) is usually 20 to 60 days although it may vary from days to years, and may depend on wound severity, wound site in relation to nerve supply and distance from the brain, amount and strain of virus, protection provided by clothing, and other factors.
20 days isn’t a long time to figure this out.
A bat may display signs of having rabies by being found places you don’t usually find them – like in the house. And if they are acting strangely – like walking around or attacking you unprovoked.
AND according to the Public Health agency of Canada “The virus is transmitted through close contact with the saliva of infected animals, most often by a bite or scratch or by licks..”
I tried every trick in my brain to come up with some reason NOT to do anything. The following day the scratches were healing nicely – and according to all the websites, rabies does not interfere with the wound healing.
I won’t go through all the details but will say it was most beneficial to me when I contacted the Public Health Services. They are the ones most familiar with rabies and had all the resources and were able to organize the rabies vaccine for me.
Rabies Vaccine for Humans
Post-exposure prophylaxis needs to be started as soon as possible after exposure and my first series of injections consisted of 4 needles. One in my left arm, right hip, left hip, left thigh. The one in my arm is for inoculation, the same needle you would get if you were a veterinarian or wildlife worker that routinely is exposed to potentially infected animals.
The other three were the Rabies Immune Globulin which contains the rabies antibodies. I required too much to be delivered to one muscle so it had to be broken into several injection sites.
There will be additional doses of the vaccine on each of days 3, 7, 14 and 28 after the first dose.
So far so good, no real reactions to speak of – a little tired the second day.
Fitness, healthy weight, and good eats are all important to your health, but because the knowledge of rabies in humans doesn’t seem to be mainstream I thought I would include this little adventure on Fit TeleVision Online.
Rabies is nearly always 100 percent fatal once symptoms have begun. Rabies vaccine is nearly 100 percent effective when given prior to the onset of symptoms. The source of all rabies in Nova Scotia is believed to be bats. 55,000 people die from rabies each year world wide.
By the way, World Rabies Day is September 28.
Please help to spread the word about the rabies virus by clicking ‘Like’ on the Facebook button to the left of the page.
Update
Its been over a month since I completed my round of human rabies shots. I feel great (glad its over with) and the worse side effects for me were achy sore muscle at the needle site for a day or two after each of the shots, plus a little lethargic. But that’s it!
AND don’t forget to click the ‘Like’ button to help spread the word on the reality of human rabies.
Tell it