No further comment on my part.
rabiddoggieping
That is a reason to raise hell even though the soldier should not have the pet.
“The rabies treatment the troop got was outdated medication and stopped early.”
If that is indeed the case, how could it not be criminal negligence?
I'd rather take a NJP than die.
/johnny
A very long time ago, I was a Peace Corps Trainee scheduled to go to Afghanistan. Two of the dozens of shots we got were rabies shots. I remember them well because they were especially painful. We were told that the shots gave us an 80% chance of surviving rabies—just in case we couldn’t get to civilization in time for the normal treatment. We were also told that every disease known to man was endemic in Afghanistan.
From full story:
"After he was bitten, Shumaker told his parents by phone and online messages that he had been given a partial sequence of rabies shots that was stopped because the medication was expired. He also told them he was ordered to shoot the dog and bring it in for rabies testing."
"It appears this may not have been true. The investigation found no evidence that Shumaker sought or received the care he described to his parents, that he was ordered to shoot a dog or that one was tested for rabies."
"A blood test after his condition was detected found no rabies antibodies in his system, and there was no human rabies vaccine available or called forward to COP Chamkani, the report states."
In other words, the kid lied about receiving treatment, told no one in his COC, and now Mom blames the Army.
Just effing A typical!
He must have been a goner anyway./s
I remember a few years ago, a Mexican child was cured of rabies by placing it in an oxygen chamber. I think a high pressure oxygen chamber.
My 2cents worth:
Pre-exposure vaccinations are more effective at protecting than post-exposure, although NO vaccination is 100% effective. Nothing in a biological system is 100% safe or 100% effective. Call it genetic diversity or whatever, not everyone responds to vaccines as well as we might hope.
I received pre-exposure vaccination in 1976, and when exposed to a laboratory confirmed rabid dog in 2010 I had my titer checked and it was still “protective” -— I have a GOOD immune system. One person in my Veterinary School class who took the exact same vaccinations as I did had no significant titer even after receiving the full series.
The most important thing is to report any bite and to seek treatment ASAP. The vaccination is racing against the virus to see which one will “win” in the body and produce protection or disease. However, many people have heard horror stories about “21 shots in the stomach” and are afraid to report an exposure because they do not want to undergo the “treatment” they have heard about. Even IF it were still the ancient 21 shots in the stomach treatment, that would still be FAR better and MUCH less painful that suffering and dying of Rabies!!!
It is my understanding that the most recent Rabies survivors -— two, I believe -— were placed in a medically induced coma and were maintained in that state for an extended period of time while their brain healed, with a variety of life support modalities used. Even so, these were a lucky two, and there is still no “cure” for Rabies once the virus is established in the body.
It is my understanding that many vaccines have full potency beyond the label expiration date, but the manufacturer has tested and provided “proof” out to only that certain date post-manufacture. And, as far as using expired vaccine -— which I would personally agree to use on myself until something else became available IF that was indeed what was on hand -— I provide these quotes and citations:
“Since a law was passed in 1979, drug manufacturers are required to stamp an expiration date on their products. This is the date at which the manufacturer can still guarantee the full potency and safety of the drug.
Most of what is known about drug expiration dates comes from a study conducted by the Food and Drug Administration at the request of the military. With a large and expensive stockpile of drugs, the military faced tossing out and replacing its drugs every few years. What they found from the study is 90% of more than 100 drugs, both prescription and over-the-counter, were perfectly good to use even 15 years after the expiration date.”
http://www.health.harvard.edu/fhg/updates/update1103a.shtml
“Can the expiration date of a vaccine be extended?
The expiration date of a biological product may be changed pursuant to 21 CFR 610.50, which states, in part, that the date of manufacture shall be the date of initiation by the manufacturer of the last valid potency test. Under 21 CFR 610.53 (b), the dating period for a product shall begin on the date of manufacture, as prescribed in section 610.50. A valid potency assay is required prior to an extension of dating. The expiration date is based on the last valid potency assay. Any decision made to extend the dating period of a vaccine is predicated and sustained by the data submitted by the manufacturer that verifies the sterility and potency of the product. If the manufacturer can assure FDA, through sound scientific data, that the product is still sterile and potent even after the recommended dating period then (on a case-by-case basis) extending the dating period on the label will be permitted.”
http://www.fda.gov/BiologicsBloodVaccines/SafetyAvailability/VaccineSafety/ucm133806.htm
It makes no sense that the Army wouldn’t have rabies vaccine in an environment where there is a large feral/pariah dog population, of which few if any animals have been vaccinated for rabies. I think there are some flies in this story’s ointment.