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David Stanley Ford

Vaccine experts advise cutback in rabies shots

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS    Comments Comment on this article3
Published: June 25, 2009

ATLANTA — People exposed to rabies need only four vaccinations, not the five currently recommended, a vaccine advisory committee said Wednesday.

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In the past, rabies shots were dreaded almost as much as the disease itself. Until the 1970s, an encounter with a rabid animal led to at least 14 shots in the abdomen. But vaccines have improved, and five shots have been the U.S. standard for more than 20 years.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted unanimously that four shots — all given within the first 14 days after exposure to rabies — are sufficient.

The panel advises the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which issues official guidance to doctors.

Committee members made the decision after hearing that out of 20,000 to 40,000 Americans exposed to rabies each year, an estimated 1,000 get only three or four shots and none of them have developed rabies.

The shots cost between $100 and $200 apiece. Two companies make rabies vaccine for the U.S. market, Novartis and Sanofi Pasteur.

A Novartis official, Clement Lewin, said he disagreed with the panel setting a precedent by making an off-label recommendation. He said it might confuse doctors.

Rabies is a viral disease transmitted through the bite of a rabid animal. The virus can infect the nervous system and can cause death within days.

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David Stanley Ford


Related Topics: Health and Fitness, Medicine, Contagious and Infectious Diseases, Nature and the Environment, Vaccines, Medical Treatments and Procedures, Wildlife, Rabies, Animal Diseases


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In the 80"s my son and daughter both had to have a round of rabies shots after a kitten bit both of them on the finger.5 shots then one hemoglobin shot and 4 others given on 3,5, and 7 day intervals best i can remember.The rotate left arm,left thigh,right arm,then right thigh.Back then they were very expensive.Two others in the family that had contact with the cat had to have shots also.They had to fly in the vaccine and being young and scared of the outcome,i have never forgot about it!!There is no cure for rabies and it is nothing to take chances with!!My son came in contact with another rabid cat several years later and only had to have one booster shot then.I can tell you that if there is a chance you have been exposed to rabies TAKE ALL THE SHOTS.Rule of thumb-VACCINATE YOUR ANIMALS!!!
marcel, Gods Country - Jun 25, 2009 at 5:31 pm
hmmm, can I get by with 3 and save a hundred dollars or should I get 4 and live?
Lawerence, Oklahoma City - Jun 25, 2009 at 3:30 pm
As usual, the media gets it right, but leaves just enough vital info out to cause some distress, and possible panic. This article is written in such a way as to make people still believe that rabies vaccinations are given in the belly. They are now given in the arm, and are no more painful than a flu shot. Stress how important it is to get treatment, but don't panic people into thinking that the treatment itself is a horrific as the disease when it's not. Education, total education, is the key.
Tania, Broken Bow - Jun 25, 2009 at 12:34 pm

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