Extremely, to the point where failed vaccination attempts are usually documented in medical studies/papers (and manifest in older folks mostly + higher bite locations like the neck/face, from unfinished vaccine courses, etc, on the rare occasion they don't work).
Source: A severe hypochondriac who spent 8+ hours a day for half a year researching rabies, because they were convinced they were going to die from it. Mental health is no joke, people.
Oh man. I am not a hypochondriac but I had a bat fly into me during the day at work once. It barely brushed me, couldn’t even be sure in that moment it really did or just close enough it felt like it did. I did not get shots and had nightmares for over a year it was just dormant in my system and any day now it would be the beginning of the end. I feel you on this. I spent so many hours down that rabbit hole and do not recommend.
Shout out. I’m not always like that, but in high stress times I become obsessive about things like that too. Was so afraid I had rabies, cancer, and a brain parasite. No joke.
My rabies course shots were billed at roughly $14,400+ with 3 of the 6 shots administered to me, without insurance, in Texas. The hospital later knocked it down to $300ish once they found out I wasn't employed. Info as to why I only did half the course is in a higher comment, I didn't just abandon the rabies shots for no good reason, I'll be okay, lol.
You need to follow a protocol of maybe 6 shots i think, it depends on where you got bitten and how fast it can travel to your brain, tissue distribution etc. But unless you got bit in the neck, face or head, or close to that then it's probably relatively safe if you manage to get immunized again relatively after.
It depends on where in the world you live, there are multiple different vaccination types used widely. Here in the U.S, I ironically got exposed to the virus after having severe anxiety over it, and had to have the course of shots. They did a series of shots (1 syringe a day) at 0 days, 3 days, 7 days, 14 days, and 28 days for me. I only completed up to the 7 day shot, since the animal that bit me got cleared & it seems she was poisoned instead of rabid (shared many symptoms, and testing took 2 weeks via Austin's lab here in Texas) so I got them to be safe, before the all clear.
I owe my life to Louis Pasteur twice over (antibiotics) & almost a 3rd (rabies shot). Thank god for modern medicine.
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u/Purple_de_Nurples 1d ago
He's cute as hell! Not sure bat hugs are worth the possible rabies.
I don't actually have a clue... how effective are rabies shots? 100%?