ghkbrew t1_ixvbz4s wrote on November 26, 2022 at 5:40 PM

Reply to comment by Common_Screen9450 in Brain cancer vaccine succeeds at prolonging survival in Phase 3 trial by Sorin61

A vaccine is a substance you give to stimulate an immune response against something else. Even traditional anti-virus vaccines aren't always given before disease exposure. E.g. rabies vaccines are almost always given after exposure. Typically after the 10 days of watching the possibly rabid animal that just bit you to see if it really had rabies.

unripenedboyparts t1_ixvf6aj wrote on November 26, 2022 at 6:03 PM

Rabies given after exposure, but before disease. So that is still prophylaxis.

Edit: This is a small point and I'm not disagreeing with you overall.

Edit 2: Geez, I cannot type today. "Rabies after exposure, but before disease. Me Tarzan."

PM_ME_YIFF_PICS t1_ixvnjk9 wrote on November 26, 2022 at 7:01 PM

You can always get it before, but getting it after a possible infecting event is definitely a good idea too

Cold_Turkey_Cutlet t1_ixx632a wrote on November 27, 2022 at 1:58 AM

>Typically after the 10 days of watching the possibly rabid animal that just bit you to see if it really had rabies.

Wait wut? I don't think this is typical. That would require a captive animal... I suspect most people who got bit by a wild animal or stray dog or something don't end up with the animal in their possession or any opportunity to watch it for 10 days.

But it is an interesting idea if possible. Because apparently the rabies vaccine is horrible and not something you want to go through if you don't need to. Then again, I'm not sure I would want to sit there for 10 days taking my chances with actual rabies either, because if you don't take the vaccine by the time symptoms set in, you're gonna die a horrible painful death.

ghkbrew t1_iy0ivn0 wrote on November 27, 2022 at 8:48 PM

You should go with what your local health department says, but yes a 10 day quarantine of the offending animal before starting prophylaxis is standard practice. At least for domestic animals. Wild animals are usually put down for testing if they're available I believe.