Yeah, I got it done for the trip through Africa. I don't think it was super necessary, but I was getting tonnes of other jabs anyway and the doctor suggested I just throw it in the mix. From memory, it was quite cheap too.

Like pictish said, 3 jabs about a month apart each time. They are into the skin though (as apposed to muscle), so can cause a mosquito bite like reaction. The vaccine works 97% of the time, so I was adviced to get a blood test after my course to see if it worked.

As mentioned above, you still need treatment if you contract the disease. But the main advantage of having been 'vaccinated' is that you don't need the normal rabies medicine after being bitten. Normally you have to get a live culture jab after being bitten, then get some normal jabs as follow up. The live culture is much harder to come by, especially in remote areas, so it's better if you don't need it. But yeah, keep in mind YOU STILL HAVE TO GET MEDICINE AFTER BEING BITTEN EVEN WITH THE VACCINE. Rabies has a 100% mortality rate once the symptoms show, so don't take this stuff lightly.

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http://www.WhyNotTour.com

ever since leaving on our trip 7 years ago Simon and I have made sure our rabies jabs are up to date....
being on a motorbike you are 'game' for every dog in the world to chase you...and they do! but as we all know its not just the dogs that you have to be worried about.
and if you are out in more remote areas you need the time that this jab give you as kuntushi mentioned.

if possible get these series of jabs before leaving.

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Lisa
www.2ridetheworld.com

I got it done for South America. It's not only dogs that carry it.. Rats, bats etc !!

I think I was ripped off. I think I had three injections at £45 each. I think it's because im in the U.K and rabies was wiped out here many years ago. You can get it MUCH MUCH cheaper in Spain or eastern Europe where it can still be a problem (so I believe)

Like said, they only buy you time....

Does anyone know if you need a booster ????? . I had mine in Nov 2007 and im going to Africa in Sept this year !!

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Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

Hi tedmagnum

I will check with the nurse tomorrow on that when i go to get dressing changed as information appears to vary, as far as I am aware its like the hep B injections once you have had the set and produce the antibodies it doesnt need a top up. Although for hep b a booster at 5 years is recommended for healthcare folk, we never got offered the booster for the prison service.
As to the cost other people have also been charged 40-45 quid a shot, at their gp for rabies.
This bunch state every 2 years you need it done and from posts on other travel forums average at 20 quid a shot[london based]
Rabies
they have a pretty good site covering all injections with basic pricing.
I was lucky as I am in a small village and the gp never charged me for the private prescription since I was planning on doing volunteer work and she also knew me quite well from my partners[ex] health issues, that probably saved 25 quid. I am also in scotland where pricing is less than some areas in fact I think it even varies region to region not just country to country in the UK, or even practice to practice.
If you do need it done or any others you might want to get the injections online and get them done at the local surgery as they are often cheaper than going through a normal pharmacy by quite a bit.
I would also get a blood test done at the end of any series of injections to see if they worked as over the last 8 years I have had 1 emergency treatment for hep at emergency ward, 2 fast track courses and 1 normal course of the hep B injections and to date still dont have antibodies present, this is pretty rare but not unheard off.
Compared to the average person my exposure to infection from hep[and pretty much everything else] has been very high and I have gotten away with it, my friend was exposed once giving first aid and died 2 years later from complications. So if you are the kind of person who is willing to give first aid[on people or animals] get one of those belt/pocket kits, they cost 2-3 quid contain gloves apron and ventaid[for mouth to mouth] and mean even if you dont want to carry a full first aid kit around with you, you can still perform the important stuff until one turns up without too much exposure. Double gloving is also pretty common when dealing with a risk.

I got those jabs a couple years ago before embarking on a long trip, 2 of them I think, and they were by far the most expensive ones I got. Don´t remember exactly, but 50-70 euros each! But may be you can get them cheaper somewhere else (usually nothing is cheap here!)

Unfortunately the vaccination won´t mean you´re fully protected, just gives you more time, as extra vaccinations needed after a suspicious contact or a bite, may be far away.

It really is a strange situation with the whole thing, because YOU will need to decide, if you have been exposed to the risk of infection, and then go find a place to get the treatment a.s.a.p (I think you must get it within 24 hours).

An example: in Eastern Turkey, we were chased several times by big, mean-looking dogs (fortunately did not get bitten, but it was fully possible). Later on, we started wondering, just where would be the nearest place to get these extra jabs (and I believe you´ll also need immunoglobulin to be put into the bite area)... Ankara was over 1000 kms away by road. We asked a few people, but they had no idea. Do they usually have the capability to give this treatment in small, rural clinics in areas, where rabies is prevalent, or it is more likely that you´ll need to find a major hospital to get it?

There isn´t a lot of time, and you certainly don´t want to mess around with your life, but those are big decisions for a traveler with no medical expertise to make.

And no, I´m not so paranoid about the possibility of an infection as this might sound, I know it is not very common.... I´m just wondering, how do you go about it in real life, if you happen to be far away from everything, and get bitten by a dog or a bat, or get a deep scratch from a monkey? I dont think the animals themselves will always be so apparently sick, even if they have rabies.

Someone pointed out in a previous thread about jabs: If there's dangerous rabbid animals about (domestic or otherwise), surely the locals would deal with them?

Chasing dogs:
I always wonder how cyclists deal with them?!

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UK to Mongolia 2009, on a DR350

Its very hard to deal with any animal that may be infected, as one you have to know its infected and 2 you have to fnd it. Thats why in some western countries if you are attacked by an animal rabies shots are often to follow while they test the animal for infection if its available.
A dog may be easy to catch but trying to locate and find a specific bat, with the description of "its a bat" in 20 miles of jungle may be slightly harder.
The locals in some countries have dealt with it in uk,japan australia it has been eradicated but that was done with a programme of immunisation, but how many dogs in other countries will have had the jabs or even the people, its down to money and rabies probably isnt high on the list when people are dying from plenty of other more common nasties.