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mradenovirus t1_j5v4cwo wrote

Reply to comment by FelisCantabrigiensis in What determines whether we can create a vaccine for an illness or not? by ShelfordPrefect

Rabies is an extremely slow virus. You can actually get bit and then go get the vaccine and be saved. That’s part of the reason we can be vaccinated for it. A primed immune system can still have time to react and clear

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ommnian t1_j5vynbe wrote

Yes, but also, when you're given the rabies vaccine in these cases, aren't *just* getting the rabies vaccine. You are also getting Rabies Immunoglobin. Which works alongside the vaccine to prevent the rabies virus from infecting you.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/rabies-immune-globulin-intramuscular-route/description/drg-20065738

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zebediah49 t1_j5x3s5u wrote

You probably don't actually need that.

But when the alternative is certain death, it's worth going the extra mile with the immunoglobin, just in case...

(Also, I certainly don't want to be part of the controlled trial to determine how necessary it is)

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FelisCantabrigiensis t1_j5v8436 wrote

That's true, and very unusual among viruses.

You can also be pre-emptively vaccinated for it, and then it works well too.

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