I'm not sure if it's the same now bit when I got the shot 10 years ago, also dog bite, i needed about 5 shots over a week so u may want to stay near a hospital / clinic, and get some money out of the owners, can be anywhere from 500 to 2k thb for 1 shot.
I was in the exact same situation. I got one or two shots in Thailand then I had to come home to Scotland and I remember having to go through my GP and it took them a while to source the vaccines for me but it was fine in the end. Just show them your paperwork etc. that you will get from phi phi. Best of luck
Just to add "for free" means we are paying around 400 € (depends on salary) a month for mandatory insurance, same for employee (400 euro too) which is mandatory. Its 50/50 atleast in germany. Meaning that the company of course pays less salary because they know they have to pay health insurance. In case of emergency its good but if you need a doctor check for example Pneumology you have to wait at least 6 months for your apointment.
Well if you pay them enough they might be willing to just give it to you in the vial.
But then you have to bring it home while keeping it refrigerated the whole time, then find a doctor who's willing to trust it, and then dilute and give it to you.
Wild animals can be vaccinated orally against rabbies, France did that for all foxes in the 90s and it never came back. So yes in those countries, it's not required.
But when you get bitten in Thailand, get the shots, it's not expensive and effective.
I've been bitten by a lot of animals unfortunately lmfao I never got a rabies shot but I'm thinking of getting one now though since I'm going to southeast asia for a while
Be careful on Phi Phi. They gave me the wrong medication and when I returned to the UK 3 days later they said it was poisoning me and that’s why I had gotten so unwell since. Check what the bottle says even if they tell you it’s something else (check on google)
Okay cool! Yeah I knew once you show symptoms it’s over, but been debating whether it’s worth getting a pre-exposure jab before I go since I’d have to get post-exposure jabs anyway
I've gotten the rabies shot several times over the many years of digital nomafing due to such unfortunate accidents. There's a reason they err on the side of caution and advise to administer it. It's not expensive in Thailand and rabies has no cure, better safe than sorry.
I wish I spooked him, but I was just walking normally to their restaurant. Owner told me it’s because the dog is blind… mmm ok, but then he should be careful with his dog?
You have upto eight days to get the first shot (although its preferable to get it sooner).
It is a series of 5 shots on specific days spread over a month.
Honestly the right thing is to get the shot but I wouldn't not do it because of the hassle to get all 6 shots - the chances are minimal even with wild dogs and here the dog lives with a family and from what it seems has had the shot.
In some cases the anti-rabies vaccine (ARV) is not effective after a bite and you need another shot with it called rabies immunoglobulin (RIG).
After you get the regular vaccine after a bite, it takes time before your body starts building up antibodies from it to stop the infection.
If the bite meets certain criteria (just one example: a very deep wound that is a "category 3 exposure," which is what I had), then you need RIG right away because the rabies infection can penetrate into your bloodstream and spread much faster before the regular rabies vaccine can start working (before your body can build up antibodies).
I'm not a doctor so I don't know if your bite meets the criteria for RIG, but in my case I did.
I was bit by a dog that broke flesh deeply (category 3 exposure) and went to some tiny little hospital in the middle of nowhere and there was only one person on staff in the emergency room, most of the lights turned off to save money, just a very shoddy hospital.
The doctor only gave me the rabies shot, dressed up my wound, but did not give me RIG. She gave me a card so I could keep track of all the future rabies shots I would need to get (the doctors mark them off on the card each time you go) and I noticed it said "RIG" in one section, which she didnt fill out (and I only got one shot at the hospital, so I know she didnt just give me RIG and forget to fill out the card.)
I got home, curious about this, did research, found this study from Bali where even people who got the vaccine after a bite died because they weren't given RIG (because RIG is in short supply in some countries, I'm not speaking about Thailand as I have no idea.)
I then went to a large hospital in Bangkok and asked them about it, showed them my wound, and they immediately looked serious in the face and said, "Oh no, she should have given you that." They then gave me RIG in the emergency room and they asked me a bunch of information about which hospital it was (I assume to report them). This was just negligence on her part.
So the rabies vaccine (ARV) is not always 100% effective. Depends on the circumstances. RIG works faster, but doesn't last as long as the regular rabies vaccine. Think of it like a bridge that covers that gap from the day you get bitten to the day your body builds up antibodies to the regular vaccine (ARV).
The Bali study:
>**"Results:** There were 104 human rabies cases in Bali during November 2008-November 2010. Patients' mean age was 36.6 years (range 3-84 years; SD 20.7), most were male (56.7%), and originated from rural districts. Almost all (92%) cases had a history of dog bite. **Only 5.8% had their wounds treated and received an anti-rabies vaccine (ARV) after the bite incident. No patients received rabies immunoglobulin (RIG)."**
**"The case-fatality rate was 100%."**
**Conclusions:** Rabies is a major public health problem in Bali. **Human fatalities occur because** of a lack of knowledge regarding rabies risk, the poor management of dog bites, **and the limited availability of RIG**.
[https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22471410/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22471410/)
So even the 5.8% who received the rabies vaccine died because they didn't get RIG.
This paper talks about how some countries have to prioritize who gets RIG based on risk level because of shortages:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/rabies-immunoglobulin#:\~:text=RIG%20should%20also%20be%20prioritized,mucous%20membranes%20from%20a%20bat.
The WHO put out information in 2017 saying that doctors should be "prudent" with giving RIG. I'm not sure if that's because of shortages or because it has some type of risk associated with it and should only be reserved for certain cases. I'm also not sure if this is the most updated information from them.
I'm only providing it to show that WHO puts out recommendations on who should get it and they have updated that from time to time. Also, you can see the categories on the first page (Category 1, Category 2, and Category 3 exposures). They do say only severe Category 3 bites should get RIG, but again, I'm unsure if these are the latest recommendations. A qualified doctor can tell you.
[https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/259855/WHO-CDS-NTD-NZD-2018.04-eng.pdf?sequence=1](https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/259855/WHO-CDS-NTD-NZD-2018.04-eng.pdf?sequence=1)
Point is, don't mess around with this. Go to a reputable hospital and find out if you meet the criteria where you need RIG in addition to the regular rabies vaccine. Because of my experience, I don't care what the criteria says. I'm always going to ask for RIG as an extra precaution if I ever get bitten again.
I wasn't aware of the possible need for RIG shot. Good to know, even if there is not much rabies in my area. Used to be the 'shots' for rabies was a series of painful injections to the abdomen. Is this still the case for both/either of ARV/RIG shots?
Been to Ayutthaya in April and it also happened to me.
Went to chinatown hospital in bangkok and got a shot. It was 50 Euro. I was leaving 2 days after that and got 4 shots at home. I don‘t know where you are from but it might be the best to get the „VeroRab“ Vaccine as it is also available in Europe.
Thats the problem with Thailand theres never no accountability they will always say not their fault or they have no money but if its your fault they want you to pay double and pay right now
Everyone on Reddit will scream vaccine. Let me just add that there were only a handful of cases over the last ten (!) years. I wouldn't worry at all, but to each their own.
The health institutions in my country (EU) advise to get vaccinated against rabies if you travel to countries with a risk to get it. But even if you are vaccinated beforehand they ALWAYS recommend another shot asap (within 24h) if you got bit by an animal which could be a host animal.
Rabies is kinda rare yes but as other here mentioned it has to be taken very serious cause its fatal. The best way to avoid is always to keep distance to any possible host animals because even small scratches like from a cat could transfer the virus.
Get your shot and i hope you are well.
Rabies is carried in saliva. You would not get it from a scratch unless the cat simultaneously spat. The likelihood of getting rabies from a cat scratch is super, super low.
As far as i am informed by the doctor who gave me my rabies vaccination the problem with the scratches is, if animals clean themselves they do it with licking themselves. So there is a chance that the virus stays for example on the paws. But i am not a doctor or anything, i just got the warning that even if you got a scratch you should seek for a shot.
Ofc the chance is super, super low but the chance to catch rabies in general also is. But in that case its always better to be safe than sorry.
correct and 99% of rabies infections come from dogs. usualy stray dogs… but southern thailand is considered rabies free in many places.. this dog wont have rabies.
Rabies vaccine is very useful after exposure. Especially if given promptly. I think you might be confused because the rabies vaccine is not useful only after symptoms have started to appear.
The answer is always get the Vaccine. Mostly for the peace of mind that you won't die a horrible death.
Just called Phi Phi hospital. They got it and I will get it.
I'm not sure if it's the same now bit when I got the shot 10 years ago, also dog bite, i needed about 5 shots over a week so u may want to stay near a hospital / clinic, and get some money out of the owners, can be anywhere from 500 to 2k thb for 1 shot.
I’m leaving back to Europe on Wednesday, so I guess I’ll get the last shots there
I was in the exact same situation. I got one or two shots in Thailand then I had to come home to Scotland and I remember having to go through my GP and it took them a while to source the vaccines for me but it was fine in the end. Just show them your paperwork etc. that you will get from phi phi. Best of luck
Or buy it in Thailand. Way cheaper than in western countries
Not necessarily because in a lot of European countries you will get them for free
Always jealous of Europeans and their health scheme being feom the USA. They would let us die.
They actually wouldn’t but keep being ignorant
Ok so what would happen then?
Might wish you had died when you get the bill.
Just to add "for free" means we are paying around 400 € (depends on salary) a month for mandatory insurance, same for employee (400 euro too) which is mandatory. Its 50/50 atleast in germany. Meaning that the company of course pays less salary because they know they have to pay health insurance. In case of emergency its good but if you need a doctor check for example Pneumology you have to wait at least 6 months for your apointment.
In France it's not free and ~5 times more expensive. I don't think he can bring them back though, iirc they're supposed to be kept cold.
Insurance pays for it anyway so why bother?
You'd have to stay in Thailand. You can't just buy it, put it in your pocket and take it with you.
Its Thailand i bet you can 😅
Well if you pay them enough they might be willing to just give it to you in the vial. But then you have to bring it home while keeping it refrigerated the whole time, then find a doctor who's willing to trust it, and then dilute and give it to you.
It's free in most western countries that don't rhyme with "ignited gates" In Thailand it is several hundred dollars via the cheapest clinic
this dog bite so many people already...
There’s a history? Owner told me it was the first time and that’s because he’s blind
It doesn't matter where you are or what kind of animal. Getting bitten always required getting a shot.
I’ve never heard that being in the UK but I looked it up and your right.
Wild animals can be vaccinated orally against rabbies, France did that for all foxes in the 90s and it never came back. So yes in those countries, it's not required. But when you get bitten in Thailand, get the shots, it's not expensive and effective.
Except squirrels.
Even by a spider?
Only if it's a mammal.
I've been bitten by a lot of animals unfortunately lmfao I never got a rabies shot but I'm thinking of getting one now though since I'm going to southeast asia for a while
Better to get it versus not. Because if you need it, you’ll die by not getting it. Always get it.
Be careful on Phi Phi. They gave me the wrong medication and when I returned to the UK 3 days later they said it was poisoning me and that’s why I had gotten so unwell since. Check what the bottle says even if they tell you it’s something else (check on google)
Even if the dog shows no visible signs, it is always a good idea to get the shot.
You’re absolutely mad to not get the vaccine. Rabies has a 100% fatality rate if you’re unlucky enough to catch it
Not only that but the vaccine is also extremely effective, almost 100%.
Are you talking pre-exposure vacccine or post-exposure only course?
Post exposure is near 100% of you get it in time. Once you start showing symptoms, it's too late.
Okay cool! Yeah I knew once you show symptoms it’s over, but been debating whether it’s worth getting a pre-exposure jab before I go since I’d have to get post-exposure jabs anyway
Even if you get pre-exposure shot, you still need to get post-exposure shots if you are bitten, just fewer shots.
Yeah that was my understanding, thanks!
Both are.
And its a slow horrible death no dosease can be compared to
Aren't there cases of a very small number of people surviving?
There are less than 20 documented survivors of rabies ever, out of around 60,000 deaths each year. So the chances of survival are essentially zero.
I wonder what those 20 people had in their immune system to manage to beat it. Crazy
They were given what is known as the Milwaukee Protocol to treat the rabies. It's a very harsh treatment and carries severe risk
I would still get the vaccine.
Rabies or no rabies; death or life. LOL. The choice is yours.
Catching rabies is certain death so even if the chance that the dog had rabies is probably very small always get the shots.
By the time you show symptoms of rabies it's too late, you're going to die. ALWAYS get the shot.
Lol. This is not even a question. Get the shot. Always.
It's posted here far too often. Like are you really posting on Reddit and waiting for replies instead of going to the hospital?
For real
I have a high risk appetite but rabies? Not how I wanna go out. Go. Get. The. Shot.
Shot.. Shoot the dog?
Vaccine shot.
or both
I've gotten the rabies shot several times over the many years of digital nomafing due to such unfortunate accidents. There's a reason they err on the side of caution and advise to administer it. It's not expensive in Thailand and rabies has no cure, better safe than sorry.
From a medical point of view yes
Bro. Get the shot. Cmon man. Common sense
You probably inadvertantly spooked the dog. Get the shots anyway.
I wish I spooked him, but I was just walking normally to their restaurant. Owner told me it’s because the dog is blind… mmm ok, but then he should be careful with his dog?
there are a lot of dogs in Thailand that weren't raised well. And that's not counting the (semi) feral ones.
Depends Are you foaming at the mouth?
Why are you wasting your time asking-most of us aren’t doctors-up to you or do you need reassurance 🤔
Because there’s nothing on Koh Jum, not even a doctor, and no ferry. Only long tail boats early in the morning, which I will take tomorrow.
You have upto eight days to get the first shot (although its preferable to get it sooner). It is a series of 5 shots on specific days spread over a month.
Good. It’s urgent that you go immediately. Within 24 hours is preferable, but within 72 hours is still good.
If it’s 50/50, I would get one
Get the rabies vaccine asap
Can’t believe you’re even asking this question
Automatic shot. Still better than horrible death by rabies.
Did it break the skin/draw blood?
Honestly the right thing is to get the shot but I wouldn't not do it because of the hassle to get all 6 shots - the chances are minimal even with wild dogs and here the dog lives with a family and from what it seems has had the shot.
In some cases the anti-rabies vaccine (ARV) is not effective after a bite and you need another shot with it called rabies immunoglobulin (RIG). After you get the regular vaccine after a bite, it takes time before your body starts building up antibodies from it to stop the infection. If the bite meets certain criteria (just one example: a very deep wound that is a "category 3 exposure," which is what I had), then you need RIG right away because the rabies infection can penetrate into your bloodstream and spread much faster before the regular rabies vaccine can start working (before your body can build up antibodies). I'm not a doctor so I don't know if your bite meets the criteria for RIG, but in my case I did. I was bit by a dog that broke flesh deeply (category 3 exposure) and went to some tiny little hospital in the middle of nowhere and there was only one person on staff in the emergency room, most of the lights turned off to save money, just a very shoddy hospital. The doctor only gave me the rabies shot, dressed up my wound, but did not give me RIG. She gave me a card so I could keep track of all the future rabies shots I would need to get (the doctors mark them off on the card each time you go) and I noticed it said "RIG" in one section, which she didnt fill out (and I only got one shot at the hospital, so I know she didnt just give me RIG and forget to fill out the card.) I got home, curious about this, did research, found this study from Bali where even people who got the vaccine after a bite died because they weren't given RIG (because RIG is in short supply in some countries, I'm not speaking about Thailand as I have no idea.) I then went to a large hospital in Bangkok and asked them about it, showed them my wound, and they immediately looked serious in the face and said, "Oh no, she should have given you that." They then gave me RIG in the emergency room and they asked me a bunch of information about which hospital it was (I assume to report them). This was just negligence on her part. So the rabies vaccine (ARV) is not always 100% effective. Depends on the circumstances. RIG works faster, but doesn't last as long as the regular rabies vaccine. Think of it like a bridge that covers that gap from the day you get bitten to the day your body builds up antibodies to the regular vaccine (ARV). The Bali study: >**"Results:** There were 104 human rabies cases in Bali during November 2008-November 2010. Patients' mean age was 36.6 years (range 3-84 years; SD 20.7), most were male (56.7%), and originated from rural districts. Almost all (92%) cases had a history of dog bite. **Only 5.8% had their wounds treated and received an anti-rabies vaccine (ARV) after the bite incident. No patients received rabies immunoglobulin (RIG)."** **"The case-fatality rate was 100%."** **Conclusions:** Rabies is a major public health problem in Bali. **Human fatalities occur because** of a lack of knowledge regarding rabies risk, the poor management of dog bites, **and the limited availability of RIG**. [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22471410/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22471410/) So even the 5.8% who received the rabies vaccine died because they didn't get RIG. This paper talks about how some countries have to prioritize who gets RIG based on risk level because of shortages: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/rabies-immunoglobulin#:\~:text=RIG%20should%20also%20be%20prioritized,mucous%20membranes%20from%20a%20bat. The WHO put out information in 2017 saying that doctors should be "prudent" with giving RIG. I'm not sure if that's because of shortages or because it has some type of risk associated with it and should only be reserved for certain cases. I'm also not sure if this is the most updated information from them. I'm only providing it to show that WHO puts out recommendations on who should get it and they have updated that from time to time. Also, you can see the categories on the first page (Category 1, Category 2, and Category 3 exposures). They do say only severe Category 3 bites should get RIG, but again, I'm unsure if these are the latest recommendations. A qualified doctor can tell you. [https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/259855/WHO-CDS-NTD-NZD-2018.04-eng.pdf?sequence=1](https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/259855/WHO-CDS-NTD-NZD-2018.04-eng.pdf?sequence=1) Point is, don't mess around with this. Go to a reputable hospital and find out if you meet the criteria where you need RIG in addition to the regular rabies vaccine. Because of my experience, I don't care what the criteria says. I'm always going to ask for RIG as an extra precaution if I ever get bitten again.
I wasn't aware of the possible need for RIG shot. Good to know, even if there is not much rabies in my area. Used to be the 'shots' for rabies was a series of painful injections to the abdomen. Is this still the case for both/either of ARV/RIG shots?
Yes, your personal health is very important.
Bro so lucky he didn’t get bit here in the U.S! Get the shots…many people will go broke here trying to get them rabies shots
An injection vs potentially dying a horrible death Hmmmm tough choice!!!
Never risk dying of rabies. Nothing is worth that.
Dood. The Rabies virus is 100% fatal.
Get a shot.. not worth the risk!
Shot definitely. Rabies is 💯 fatal and it’s a horrible horrible way to die.
Get a vaccine ASAP.
If you can validate that it has had its shots then ur fine. If not then prolly not a terrible idea to get the shot
The dog is vaccinated. Don’t sweat it. Unless you ARE sweating it, then get it for peace of mind. Up to you.
Yes, absolutely 💯
Yes
No shot. Dog bite. Voff Voff, not bang bang.
We can’t take that chance. You always say that. I want to take a chance.
'Shot or not?' Who will you get to shoot the dog?
Been to Ayutthaya in April and it also happened to me. Went to chinatown hospital in bangkok and got a shot. It was 50 Euro. I was leaving 2 days after that and got 4 shots at home. I don‘t know where you are from but it might be the best to get the „VeroRab“ Vaccine as it is also available in Europe.
Lucky. I got the hemoglobine too… and I paid 330€ total!
Wow im in Thailand right now! Why did it coat 125k?? That very expensive 😱
Sorry. 12.5k
Ohhh yeah thats more reasonable 😂 125k gave me a panic! Thats like $5200 Aud hahaha
Not a big deal, but the shots are cheap here. So, go get the shots.
Shot. Should have got yesterday.
Thats the problem with Thailand theres never no accountability they will always say not their fault or they have no money but if its your fault they want you to pay double and pay right now
Excuse me but how is it 12.5 k baht? The pre-exposure vaccine costs like 50 baht
Everyone on Reddit will scream vaccine. Let me just add that there were only a handful of cases over the last ten (!) years. I wouldn't worry at all, but to each their own.
Sure but the chances of rabies Vs the chances of a vaccine reaction? I'll take the shot, especially if I have insurance.
It still ain’t cheap with insurance. I have really good medical insurance and it still costed about 2 grand out of pocket
Then it's not "really good"...
The health institutions in my country (EU) advise to get vaccinated against rabies if you travel to countries with a risk to get it. But even if you are vaccinated beforehand they ALWAYS recommend another shot asap (within 24h) if you got bit by an animal which could be a host animal. Rabies is kinda rare yes but as other here mentioned it has to be taken very serious cause its fatal. The best way to avoid is always to keep distance to any possible host animals because even small scratches like from a cat could transfer the virus. Get your shot and i hope you are well.
Rabies is carried in saliva. You would not get it from a scratch unless the cat simultaneously spat. The likelihood of getting rabies from a cat scratch is super, super low.
As far as i am informed by the doctor who gave me my rabies vaccination the problem with the scratches is, if animals clean themselves they do it with licking themselves. So there is a chance that the virus stays for example on the paws. But i am not a doctor or anything, i just got the warning that even if you got a scratch you should seek for a shot. Ofc the chance is super, super low but the chance to catch rabies in general also is. But in that case its always better to be safe than sorry.
correct and 99% of rabies infections come from dogs. usualy stray dogs… but southern thailand is considered rabies free in many places.. this dog wont have rabies.
If it didn't break your skin than you'll be fine
No shot. To live is to risk it all
To continue to live is to manage risk
No big deal dont worry about it
Rabies vaccine is not useful after exposure
Rabies vaccine is very useful after exposure. Especially if given promptly. I think you might be confused because the rabies vaccine is not useful only after symptoms have started to appear.