Just back from the surgery the nurse checked the latest info regarding vaccinations[thaty had actually been updating their records for the new system so its the latest info].

Current advice for rabies- after the initial 3 shots only those with high risk and regular contact with rabies infection require a booster after 12 months of initial treatment.

Current advice for hep B- blood test every 5 years to confirm still protected, then 1 booster if not.

Pretty much seams get a bloodtest to check what protection you have from all your vaccinations before you head off certainly if you had the shots a few years ago.

Done a fair bit of looking into rabies now since ive got nothing else to do all day,heres a roundup of some facts taken from world health organisations ect

1/Dogs are the main cause of human infections[99.9%], in wild animals it seams to be anything bigger than a small rodent, mice ect are generally free from rabies. Only mammals carry it.

2/Animals may not show any outward signs of infection but increased aggression is common.

3/ only new zealand is 100% rabies free in the world within wild animal populations.

4/European bat rabies tends not to pass to humans, 4 cases in last 25 years within EU all amongst handlers.

5/ The last few cases in the UK were among people who had been bitten by dogs in other countries apart from a fatal case of a bat handler in scotland and another fatal case of a woman from Ireland who worked with animals in Africa.

6/ Incubation period is 2-8 weeks and even longer before signs show.

7/Barring transplant it does not pass from human to human.

8/there is a treatment for humans once signs of the disease show but its only 10-20% chance of working and even less chance of the person making a full recovery without any lifechanging side effects. Brain damage is common.

9/ 150 people die every day in the world from rabies, on average 100 of those are kids. That is a low estimate and from reported figures only.

10/ In reported deaths India has the highest level, followed by Vietnam and Thailand. It is believed african numbers are upto 100 times lower than what they actually are. SO Africa and Asia are hotspots,Middle East is medium risk, North America, South America[Brazil and Peru were mentioned quite a few times in several sites] are not so bad but still a risk zone. Travelling from the UK rabies issues start at Turkey and then get worse until you hit OZ, or if you head into eastern Europe there is medium risk until you start getting closer to Asia.

11/ The failure to control rabies is causing an increase every year in numbers of infections in third world countries with a knock on effect to those visiting them, this has not only caused issues for humans but animal populations[both domsestic/farm stock and wild] have also suffered . In Asia the recent trend of keeping dogs as pets has also brought about an increase in human infections, China is currently a risk area but the government is taking action such as 1 dog per family rules for some cities.Even in america wild animal populations have seen a spread in rabies so that areas which were free from rabies 25 years ago are now getting reported cases. Skunks and stray dogs appear to be the main animal to watch out for as most states are trying to enforce dogs being vaccinated and several states run a baiting scheme to vaccinate wild animals and stray dogs.

12/ If bitten by a wild animal or pretty much any animal in a risk country wash the site of the bite with soap or any other disinfectant and get to a doctor/hospital as soon as possible. The virus is not really a drop dead within 24 hours kinda virus and takes time to spread to the brain which at that point you are pretty much doomed. The injections before you go will not only help your body fight off the infection in the long run but also give you more time to get further injections.


From everything I have read infection from wild animals is very very rare, So I would not worry too much unless you are trying to handle them. But contact with stray dogs and "pets" should be a cause for concern as it does not take a bite just some slobbering on an open wound or scratch to pass it on. Very sad as yet again it has been proven that we have the means to prevent the spread and even pretty much eradicate rabies within both wild and stray dog populations but it comes down to money. Slightly scary considering current borders within europe are becoming less enforced.