I can blame the parent for bad parenting and call myself informed and everyone else should be … because I know about bats carrying rabies
But I also know that most people have no clue that any of this can happen … it’s the first case of someone dying from rabies in Ontario from an infection that originated in Ontario since 1967 … people have no clue that this is even possible in this day in age
About eight or ten years ago I woke up one night in my cottage to a bat flying around my place. It was dark inside and I saw this thing fluttering around in my room. I opened a window and let it out and never thought anything of it. About a year later, I happened to be reading some stuff about rabies … the hair in the back of my neck went up and it’s freaked me out since.
After that bat in my room, I never went for treatment, I never got checked out and I never thought anything of it. It’s been about ten years and I keep worrying that some day I’ll start feeling the effects of it. I think most people in Ontario would do the same because everyone thinks we got rid of rabies decades ago or that it is a third world disease that isn’t possible here.
I feel terrible for that parent … death from rabies is a horrible way to die and it happened to this child with their parents watching it all happen.
I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy … let alone someone I would accuse of bad parenting.
Quick heads up that we do have effective treatments UNTIL you start exhibiting symptoms, after that you can’t really be cured anymore and would just have to live with it (and manage the symptoms until it kills you shortly after)
I can blame the parent for bad parenting and call myself informed and everyone else should be … because I know about bats carrying rabies
Most provinces and the federal’s health protocols no longer recommend automatic treatment for “bat in room” situations. Only if there’s reasonable doubt of having been bitten. I’ve been there and I really had to advocate to the ER doctor that there was no way for me to know.
The CDC guidelines are a bit confusing too, like is just being in a house common behavior, as in the part about keeping bats out, or a sign of rabies as in an earlier part? Should you check for physical contact or just go get tested? (And in the US, will your insurance cover the test without symptoms showing?) Should you get the fucking plague beast out of your house while avoiding contact, or try to catch it for testing?
I thought by the time it is detectable in tests on a person, that person is already terminal. My understanding is if you have any chance of exposure from an animal you skip the tests and go get the shots. IDK about insurance.
I agree and I was just being cynical about health insurance companies denying care for cruelly stupid reasons. Although I remember some old TV shows where “if the animal can be quickly caught and it tests negative for rabies, the child won’t have to undergo the painful series of abdominal shots.” Not sure if the treatment is still as miserable as portrayed.
I can blame the parent for bad parenting and call myself informed and everyone else should be … because I know about bats carrying rabies
But I also know that most people have no clue that any of this can happen … it’s the first case of someone dying from rabies in Ontario from an infection that originated in Ontario since 1967 … people have no clue that this is even possible in this day in age
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/rabies-death-1.7341335
About eight or ten years ago I woke up one night in my cottage to a bat flying around my place. It was dark inside and I saw this thing fluttering around in my room. I opened a window and let it out and never thought anything of it. About a year later, I happened to be reading some stuff about rabies … the hair in the back of my neck went up and it’s freaked me out since.
After that bat in my room, I never went for treatment, I never got checked out and I never thought anything of it. It’s been about ten years and I keep worrying that some day I’ll start feeling the effects of it. I think most people in Ontario would do the same because everyone thinks we got rid of rabies decades ago or that it is a third world disease that isn’t possible here.
I feel terrible for that parent … death from rabies is a horrible way to die and it happened to this child with their parents watching it all happen.
I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy … let alone someone I would accuse of bad parenting.
Quick heads up that we do have effective treatments UNTIL you start exhibiting symptoms, after that you can’t really be cured anymore and would just have to live with it (and manage the symptoms until it kills you shortly after)
Most provinces and the federal’s health protocols no longer recommend automatic treatment for “bat in room” situations. Only if there’s reasonable doubt of having been bitten. I’ve been there and I really had to advocate to the ER doctor that there was no way for me to know.
The CDC guidelines are a bit confusing too, like is just being in a house common behavior, as in the part about keeping bats out, or a sign of rabies as in an earlier part? Should you check for physical contact or just go get tested? (And in the US, will your insurance cover the test without symptoms showing?) Should you get the fucking plague beast out of your house while avoiding contact, or try to catch it for testing?
https://www.cdc.gov/rabies/prevention/bats.html
I thought by the time it is detectable in tests on a person, that person is already terminal. My understanding is if you have any chance of exposure from an animal you skip the tests and go get the shots. IDK about insurance.
I agree and I was just being cynical about health insurance companies denying care for cruelly stupid reasons. Although I remember some old TV shows where “if the animal can be quickly caught and it tests negative for rabies, the child won’t have to undergo the painful series of abdominal shots.” Not sure if the treatment is still as miserable as portrayed.
Get shots, pay health insurance. Dont get shots, life insurance pays your loved ones.
Macabre and sadly true.