I'm sure there are vastly different prices for the Rabies vaccination (pre-exposure) vs. the emergency Rabies shot series (post-exposure).
On Mon, Feb 20, 2012 at 12:43 PM, Preston Forsythe <[email protected]>wrote: > ** > Thanks RD for checking as I was hoping the Miami price was inflated. I did > double check the Miami Audubon article and it cost the author $27,000.00. > > I would certainly hope the vaccine would be cheaper in TX and KY. I was > wondering if it would even be available in KY? > > When Crash gets time maybe he can enlighten us on the costs, procedures > and availability. I bet Crash has had the vaccines. Wonder how long the > shots are good for? > > There have been several times in my caving days when I was surrounded by > bats, swimming in thick guano covered water, not to mention walking, wading > and crawling in deep guano. > > Guano Go Caving, > > Preston > ============================================= > > ----- Original Message ----- > *From:* R D Milhollin <[email protected]> > *To:* Preston Forsythe <[email protected]> ; > [email protected] > *Sent:* Monday, February 20, 2012 11:55 AM > *Subject:* Re: [Texascavers] Cost of Rabies Shots > > Preston, that cost figure seemed a little out-of-range, so I took 4 > minutes to look around for other information to confirm or refute the > article's claim. > > > This is from the North Dakota public health website: > > http://www.ndhealth.gov/disease/Rabies/QandA.htm > > "How much does rabies vaccine cost? > > Rabies vaccine and immunoglobulin is very expensive. A typical > vaccination series with the rabies immunoglobulin can cost anywhere from > $2,000 to $7,000+ per person." > > and from a North Carolina new program: > > > http://www2.nbc17.com/news/2011/jun/30/rabies-shots-are-expensive-hard-find-and-time-cons-ar-1169155/ > > "If you think the long wait and multiple visits are tough to handle, the > hospital bills are worse. > Hutton<http://www2.nbc17.com/topics/types/person/tags/john-hutton/> said > the first treatment resulted in a bill of > $10,289<http://www2.nbc17.com/topics/types/currency/tags/usd/>. > But why so much? > The cost of the ER > facility<http://www2.nbc17.com/topics/types/facility/tags/er-facility/> is > only 7 percent of the bill, but then you need a vial of immunoglobulin. > That's where the big money factors in. Depending on its weight, a vial of > immunoglobulin can cost upwards > of$1,500<http://www2.nbc17.com/topics/types/currency/tags/usd/>. > According to Rex > Hospital<http://www2.nbc17.com/topics/types/facility/tags/rex-hospital/> > Emergency Room > supervisor<http://www2.nbc17.com/topics/types/position/tags/emergency-room-supervisor/> > Sherry Witt <http://www2.nbc17.com/topics/types/person/tags/sherry-witt/>, > immunoglobulin is like liquid gold. > According to Rex, in Hutton's > $10,000<http://www2.nbc17.com/topics/types/currency/tags/usd/> bill, > that one shot was 80 percent of the bill -more than > $8,000<http://www2.nbc17.com/topics/types/currency/tags/usd/> for > that one shot." > > So my unscientific, cursory survey of the information on the internet > seems to show that while very expensive, the figure quoted by the Miami > Audubon seems somewhat inflated, by a factor ranging from 2 to 4 times. > What would be more informative for us would be what Texas health providers > charge for the treatment. > ------------------------------ > *From:* Preston Forsythe <[email protected]> > *To:* [email protected] > *Sent:* Monday, February 20, 2012 10:23 AM > *Subject:* [Texascavers] Cost of Rabies Shots > > According to an article in the Miami Tropical Audubon Society newsletter, > Spring 2011, five rabies shots cost---$27,000. > > The author one evening picked up a "little fluttering thing," a bat, which > bit her repeatedly between the thumb and forefinger. After 3 days she > "yielded to reason (and fear)" and went to the doctor. Regular doctors do > not stock rabies vaccine so she had to go to the Emergency Room. She > received Five shots in the upper arm, painless, and a bill for $27,000. > But, that prevented the possible rabies virus from migrating to the brain, > where it is always fatal. > > The bat was a Brazilian Free-Tailed bat and it lived for 3 days, hence the > shots. > > The author says if you must handle bats wear heavy gloves. > > By the way the Tropical Audubon Society headquarters in sw Miami at Coral > Gables is a great place to visit. Lots of birding in that very tropical and > jungle like area. > > Cavingly, > > Preston in KY > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > Visit our website: http://texascavers.com > To unsubscribe, e-mail: [email protected] > For additional commands, e-mail: [email protected] > > > > -- Ron Rutherford
