Rabie Vaccination Essay
Every research project requires extensive preparations in order to succeed. For bat surveys, it is essential to use precautionary procedures and handling training in order to maximize safety. The CDC highly recommends rabies vaccinations for those working with any mammal capable of rabies, especially bats. In the United States, bats are leading in human rabies transmission. The rabies vaccine that handlers receive is specifically pre-exposure. When getting this vaccine, it is imperative to communicate to the doctor that this is not a post-exposure. The procedures for pre- and post-exposure is completely different. The pre-exposure vaccines are a series of three intramuscular injections of dead rabies cells during a span of three to four weeks.
…show more content…
The immune system is able to create rabies antibodies as a defense for if or when a bite occurs. The symptoms and disease itself will be less severe with this precautionary vaccine. It is a very expensive vaccine, and can cost up to $300 per injection. Further research and consolidation must be made with insurance companies to evaluate if insurance will cover the vaccine. Communication is key, as mix-ups can be made with the doctors office and insurance companies. Many times when people hear “rabies” the mind automatically goes to “I was bit.” The correct code is needed for pre-exposure and everything must be filed correctly. This is assuming the insurance will cover it at all.
Once the three rounds of vaccine have settled for a week or two, the physical contact of bats can begin.
Insectivorous microbats are the subject of our research, as microbats are the only bats available in the United States. These animals have very “shark-like” rows of sharp teeth. In non-stressful situations, a microbat can be handled without a huge risk of being bitten. However, the bats in our research are under high stress and extremely likely to bite. The percentage of handled bats that bit was close to 100%. In order to prepare for this, thick latex gloves and a pair of thick gardening or work gloves suffice. The latex gloves must be high-quality but disposable. Each hand required one latex glove, and the handler’s non-dominant hand required a work glove. The other work glove was put aside. The non-dominant hand holds the bat securely while the dominant hand is free to manipulate the bat for measurements and evaluation. The four bat species that we surveyed felt more secure with a soft, but firm hold. The most difficult microbat to handle and measure is the evening bat (Nycticeius humeralis). These bats will fight against anything done to it. The easiest way to keep them still and calm is to simply let them gnaw on the work glove thumb. The calmest microbat to handle is the Brazilian free-tailed bat (Tadarina brasiliensis). A research favorite, most of these animals simply relaxed as we flipped them over to measure
them.
The immune system is able to create rabies antibodies as a defense for if or when a bite occurs. The symptoms and disease itself will be less severe with this precautionary vaccine. It is a very expensive vaccine, and can cost up to $300 per injection. Further research and consolidation must be made with insurance companies to evaluate if insurance will cover the vaccine. Communication is key, as mix-ups can be made with the doctors office and insurance companies. Many times when people hear “rabies” the mind automatically goes to “I was bit.” The correct code is needed for pre-exposure and everything must be filed correctly. This is assuming the insurance will cover it at all.
Once the three rounds of vaccine have settled for a week or two, the physical contact of bats can begin.
Insectivorous microbats are the subject of our research, as microbats are the only bats available in the United States. These animals have very “shark-like” rows of sharp teeth. In non-stressful situations, a microbat can be handled without a huge risk of being bitten. However, the bats in our research are under high stress and extremely likely to bite. The percentage of handled bats that bit was close to 100%. In order to prepare for this, thick latex gloves and a pair of thick gardening or work gloves suffice. The latex gloves must be high-quality but disposable. Each hand required one latex glove, and the handler’s non-dominant hand required a work glove. The other work glove was put aside. The non-dominant hand holds the bat securely while the dominant hand is free to manipulate the bat for measurements and evaluation. The four bat species that we surveyed felt more secure with a soft, but firm hold. The most difficult microbat to handle and measure is the evening bat (Nycticeius humeralis). These bats will fight against anything done to it. The easiest way to keep them still and calm is to simply let them gnaw on the work glove thumb. The calmest microbat to handle is the Brazilian free-tailed bat (Tadarina brasiliensis). A research favorite, most of these animals simply relaxed as we flipped them over to measure
them.