How come you never hear about rabies these days?

[Taytoface]

I remember travelling to France as a kid, and having the car sprayed on the way back, and posters everywhere about rabies. Anyone remember the film the Mad Death? Fucking terrifying.

I don't even think the bat shit Brexiteers ramped up rabies fear as part of the leave campaign.

Is it just not that common in Europe any more?

I’m sorry you went through that exact but at least you were near a hospital!

It definitely does sound terrifying. I never realised that rabies could be spread through a scratch, I thought it had to be a bite.

I live in the US so my pets are vaccinated against rabies every year. Other than that I never give it a second thought. Yes it’s out there but the chances of me catching it are so so so rare.

Strange to see this thread today after I saw this morning's headlines saying that El Nino may cause seals to spread rabies...
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/science-and-disease/el-nino-could-cause-explosion-of-rabid-seals-globally/

I had physical contact with a bat in my house in the UK a few years back, I had the rabies post exposure vaccination just in case, although very rare, some bats in the UK carry a rabies like virus, I wasn’t going to take any chances where rabies was concerned no matter how small the risk

i got bitten by a stray dog in the Philippines and had one rabies injection there
when I got home and called my doctor to get the 2 further injections they told me to go to a travel clinic and pay
i complained to nhs England as this should be free - I can imagine people not bothering if it would cost £200

I remember reading some years ago about a teenage girl who survived rabies without a vaccination - the doctors put her into an induced coma which limited the damage the disease could do, although afterwards I think she had to re-learn many basic skills, such was the debilitating effect.

Generally if you don't have the vaccination after exposure, the disease will be fatal.

Apparently if you think you have been bitten or scratched by a potentially infected animal, you should wash the wound out as quickly and thoroughly as you can to reduce what enters your bloodstream, before having the course of vaccinations.

So kind of a good news story then? Was it pet vaccination that got it under control I wonder.

When we went to Bali they warned us not to pet stray dogs,cats or monkeys because of rabies.

It can be caught by a lick as well, if an infected animal licks you on broken skin.
I agree with a PP that the public information films were really scary and I remember a couple of them about the danger of rabies which scared seven shades out of me !!

Yes i was too my mum wouldnt let us near any animals when we were on holiday
But i watched an episode of call the midwife set in the early 70s and i think there was a public information film about it and they were always terrifying.

Wow, that is a scary thought. I’m very glad I did warn my DM against befriending a feral kitten whilst in the Gambia.