"Textbook" Bat Bite per the CDC. Antibodies Absent. Terrified.

[Flapj]

Can you step back for a second and acknowledge why PCPs and other doctors might not immediately think "antibody titres" and other excessive testing when dealing with a patient who thinks they might have an ultra rare virus that kills 1-2 people per year in the entire country? You seem mad at them for the way they reacted.

A domesticated cat bit you and you went in for rabies concerns? I can't find any cat-human rabies transmission in the U.S. in all of the CDC surveillance data at all.

You have an irrational rabies fear. You need to move past it. Other people are not the problem here.

[RabiesFear]

Nah. It was an outdoor cat with a collar and it bit me out of nowhere after I stopped to pet it. The owners told Animal Control that (1) they had not vaccinated the cat for rabies although they'd had it for years and that (2) they didn't know where it was. It was a virtually fully outdoor cat. CDC guidance is to get the shot. About 250 cats are reported as rabid each year in the US, which isn't a lot but that's just what's reported. It's considered rare because most owners get their cats vaccinated, and/or most people don't have random contact with cats. There have been two cases of cat-human rabies since the sixties. Guidance is ACTUALLY to get boosters regardless of whether you've got rabies PEP but the HHS wanted to wait for the titre because cats aren't as much of a rabies threat. They actually told me to get antibiotics; they were a bit more worried about that.

I am, in fact, very mad at the way my PCP reacted. I didn't just show up asking for a blood test. I called the HHS because I didn't know how I should proceed, and had dealt with them re: my prior rabies issue. They told me to get a blood test. They just can't order the test themselves; you can get it done AT the health department, but its a much more onerous process. The HHS (again - doctors who actually deal with this stuff) was absolutely baffled as to why my PCP wouldn't give it to me.

The reason I say that PCPs do not know about rabies is because they do not. Most doctors don't. Rabies is rare in the US, so nobody really cares much about it. You seem like you are pretty defensive of the doctors here, but this is just the truth. My PCP significantly delayed me getting a test that is time-sensitive and refused to speak to an actual epidemiologist about whether it was necessary. That seems pretty negligent to me.

I hope my fear is irrational - that's why I originally posted here, after all. Do I know I got bitten by a bat? No, but I had bats in my house, and the CDC told me to get the shots. Do I know I got bitten by a cat? Yes. Was the cat vaccinated for rabies? No. Was it an outdoor cat without supervision? Yes. Was it acting strangely? Kind of. Came over to me all friendly and then bit me hard - breaking skin - with no warning. Did I want to get more shots that make me feel like shit? No. Did I seek medical guidance first? Yes. Did I have sufficient antibodies? No. Was anybody able to find the cat afterwards? No.

Was it unlikely to have rabies? Sure. But I'm not on a forum about health concerns because I like to roll the dice.

EDIT: I'll also add that my PCP was 100% wrong. I don't actually have sufficient antibodies right now. CDC guidance would have been to get the shots after getting bitten by the cat regardless of whether I'd gotten them earlier in the year. I know we're trying to dispel panic here, but insinuating that people SHOULDN'T get shots because they've been bitten by an animal UNLIKELY to have rabies is not it.

[Flapj]

There have been two cases of cat-human rabies since the sixties.

Do you hear yourself?

[BlueIris]

Just to clarify, that isn't strange cat behaviour. A lot of cats do this when they're overstimulated.

[RabiesFear]

Do you hear yourself?

Yeah, I do. You were the one that said there were zero cases. BTW, the reason for that? Is because people usually vaccinate their cats, and because the CDC tells you to get the shots if you get bitten by an unvaccinated animal. Unlike bats, people absolutely know when they get bitten by a cat/dog. This isn't me making stuff up, it's literally what you're supposed to do in this instance. I'm not sure why you're on a forum about rabies anxiety if you're so cavalier that you wouldn't.

Not sure what your problem is. Guessing you're a doctor who is feeling called out, in which case - get over it. I'm not going to tiptoe around one negligent doctor's feelings because the risk is extremely low where another, more experienced doctor tells me to get the shots.

Edit: I see in a previous forum post that you believe PEP makes you "immune for life". I'm guessing that this is where your ire is coming from, in which case - stop giving people bad medical advice. PEP is incredibly variable, which is why people in high risk categories have to check every six months. You also called rabies "ultra rare" in a post above, and that's kind of true. It's rare in the US, BECAUSE we vaccinate our animals, we get the shots, and they are high quality. It's still rare but not quite as rare in other places like India, where they do not. There's a HUGE difference between an irrational rabies fear of brushing against something in the dark, and having direct contact with an animal and thinking eh, it's rare.

[Flapj]

Are you in India? Your avatar says you're in the U.S.

This is not a forum for spreading panic and bad information, as you are doing. It is a place people come for help with their anxiety and irrational fears. You don't seem to want help, you want an echo chamber of like-minded irrationals. This is not the place.

I suspect you enjoy being challenged and "clapping back," and if that's part of your personality, fine. It wont get you very far in life.

[jayke]

The oddest thread I have ever read.