Rabies?

[NittanyKitty]

I'm a little crushed. There's a great wildlife rehab place twenty minutes from my house. They work with a wide variety of species, have a veterinarian come in three days a week, and are active in the community. I was hoping to volunteer there this summer. But I found out there are little to no pre-exposure rabies vaccines available! Like...anywhere! The lady who runs the place is desperate for volunteers but can't get anyone new because they can't be vaccinated. Has anyone else heard about this? I guess it's been a problem for about a year now: http://www.cdc.gov/rabies/news/2008-06-16_RabVax.html

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[No Imagination]

Did you want the 1 year or 3 year vaccination?

I'M KIDDING -

Try calling all the ID Doctors in the area. I got min done w/ the g/f about 8 months ago. We just called all the ID's in the area, ended up having to go out of state (Jersey) - but found someone with a stock.

Not sure what the self life of the stuff is - If its long, you might be in luck with some MD's that still have a supply.

 

[athane960]

Yes it has been a problem for almost a year now. I work for the Texas Health Deparment and part of my job is evaluating rabies risks in people and dispensing postexposure prophylaxis for possible risks. Last summer we had to cut off ALL preexposure dispensing and just save what we had for postexposure. We were given alot of reasons, but to this day, it is not really clear what happened with the vaccine supply. The biggest reason, is that one of the major manufacturers, Novartis, had to revamp its facility where the vaccine was being produced and that put a crimp on the supply. The next major manufacturer (actually pretty much the only other option) Sanofi could not keep up with the demand once Novartis went off line and we had to limit or dispensing to certain exposures. Also Sanofi's vaccine is not viable for everyone since it is from purified chick embryo and some people may be allergic.

This year, the supply is getting close again to normal levels and preexposure is more easily available though you still might have to do some digging. We are starting to dispense for preexposure shots again. All in all the short supply caused alot of hairpulling for my colleagues and I last year.

Since I work in the field with potentially rabid animals, I have to have had prexposure shots and keep an elevated titer. I just had my titer checked in January and it is still elevated so I am going to give this to the school that I am going to attend in the fall for proof so I get to sidestep that issue.

I would try calling a local health department. Even if people who need it don't qualify to receive it through us call me, I still have lists of other places where they can get it. I am sure this is the same where you live.

 

[SHEEPRL]

I know a few years ago the supply was almost depleted and now I believe they are still rebuilding the supply, so they are being super stringent as to who is getting the vaccine i.e. I had to have the vet I intern with come with me on my first/three shots two weeks ago to verify his license and so he could vouch for me as to the fact I will be working with a large quantity of animals. Try contacting the Health Department in your area (They are hooked to the govt) they should be able to give you a list of hospitals within your area that carry them. Do not foret to price compare the helath department charged $168/shot and another hospital I looked into charged $250.

 

[JustCats]

http://www.cdc.gov/rabies/news/2008-05-20_PreEVax.html

 

[Jochebed]

I just had blood drawn earlier this week to recheck my titer. I was vaccinated 4 years ago and had a high titer 2 years ago (when I started vet school). But for me it really doesn't matter if it comes back low as I'm currently pregnant and so I'm not going to be boostered. But it got the school people to stop bugging me about my titer, so we'll see what it comes back as.

 

[rugbychick16]

Our whole first year class couldn't even get the shot immediately, because there was none available for us.
They finally got some doses in at the beginning of this semester, but much of the class still didn't get it because of the high cost and the refusal of insurances to cover it. It sucks.

 

[bunnity]

Would it be possible for you to volunteer there but work with non-RVS species until you get your vaccinations? The wildlife clinic that I did my internship at was like that: most people work with non-RVS animals and the paid staff and those that can afford / get the shots deal with the raccoons, skunks, bats, and groundhogs (which are a minority of the animals anyway because the public is rightly nervous about bringing them in). They just have a special room for RVS species.

Of course this might not work depending on your clinic's policies and the amount of RVS traffic they get, but it could be worth a shot.

 

[cozycleo]

Have you called local clinics or hospitals where your insurance is accepted? I had trouble getting it through my school (mostly because of communication problems), but I was able to get it no problem through my own hospital system. I managed to get all three done just this past December.

Maybe it's a regional thing as far as supply goes, but I didn't have trouble finding places with the vaccine itself. My bigger problem was finding people who knew what the hell was going on. When I got it approved through my school, I had approval from even the top people, but their schedulers refused to schedule the appointment because nobody had talked to them. I left message after message and nobody got back to me. Finally I just arranged it through my own hospital. It wasn't until two months after I had initially tried at the school when someone called me back and said "oh yeah, we can do it now." Gee...thanks! I'm good.

 

[AgtOrange]

Would it be possible for you to volunteer there but work with non-RVS species until you get your vaccinations? The wildlife clinic that I did my internship at was like that: most people work with non-RVS animals and the paid staff and those that can afford / get the shots deal with the raccoons, skunks, bats, and groundhogs (which are a minority of the animals anyway because the public is rightly nervous about bringing them in). They just have a special room for RVS species.

Of course this might not work depending on your clinic's policies and the amount of RVS traffic they get, but it could be worth a shot.

The wildlife hospital where I volunteered for a year was the same way - if you didn't have a rabies vaccine, you just couldn't handle the rabies vector species (raccoons/skunks/bats - I still handled the groundhogs). Every once in a while there would be a new volunteer who would decide it was cute to try and "play" with a raccoon, but other than that it worked well.

 

[david594]

Had no issue getting my pre-exposure rabies vaccines locally a month ago. My insurance even covered it to boot. Otherwise I would have been looking at $225 per shot out of pocket.

So if anyone in the New England area is having a hard time, its worth contacting the Baystate Medical Center Travel Clinic.

 

[1Vista1Grey]

I happened to be one of the last people at the sanctuary I interned at to get my vaccine. After me no other interns could find the vaccine. Which meant I was stuck in raccoon land for 3 months! Hundreds and hundreds of raccoons.. all day.. every day.. A job that should have been two people had to be done by one person.. eventually vaccines were found (and baby season ended!)

 

[Klhughes]

It seems like the supply has been coming and going over the last year or so. I got mine last fall but I know classmates of mine that have been having a hard time finding it lately. It may be starting to come back in (at least in TN) cause they are beginning to give them again.

One suggestion I have for people who's insurance won't cover pre-exposure is to see if your doctor will write a prescription for it and try bringing it to the pharmacy. I did this and ended up paying on $25 for all 3 doses. Make sure to have the pharmacy check what your insurance will cover first because most pharmacies have to order it in for you and you don't want to get stuck paying for all of it if they don't check first. It saved me a lot of money because my insurance would not cover it if I received it at a doctors office.

 

[Pandacinny]

(This might sound really stupid, so I'll preface it by saying that I didn't have insurance for most of my life and procedures involved with doctors offices and insurance companies still kind of confuse me.)

You can get vaccines given at a pharmacy? I had no idea! Does the pharmacist give then to you, or is this at one of those "minute clinic" things like they have at Target and some other stores?

 

[1Vista1Grey]

I had the pharmacy fill the script for the vaccines. Then I brought the vaccines to my doctor who gave the actual injection. I dont know if anyone else did the same thing?

 

[Klhughes]

(This might sound really stupid, so I'll preface it by saying that I didn't have insurance for most of my life and procedures involved with doctors offices and insurance companies still kind of confuse me.)

You can get vaccines given at a pharmacy? I had no idea! Does the pharmacist give then to you, or is this at one of those "minute clinic" things like they have at Target and some other stores?

I had the pharmacy fill the script for me then I just brought it to the health clinic at school and they gave the injection.

 

[TSUJC]

Klhughes- Great advice! Did you call your insurance company and see what if would cost if you got a prescription? My insurance won't cover the vaccine at the doctor but maybe they will cover a prescription??

 

[Klhughes]

Klhughes- Great advice! Did you call your insurance company and see what if would cost if you got a prescription? My insurance won't cover the vaccine at the doctor but maybe they will cover a prescription??

My insurance wouldn't cover pre-exposure vaccines at the doctor either but I figured I would give it a try with a prescription and see what happened. I had had scripts written out for other vaccines in the past so that I could have them done while I was "out-of-network" for my insurance.
I didn't call the insurance before I did it but when I brought the script into the pharmacy I had them check and see what my insurance would cover on it before they ordered it. They came back and said $25 would cover all 3 injections. I think we were all a little surprised that it actually worked.

 

[TSUJC]

Maybe I will try it that way. I called my insurance and they said it would cost the same if I had a prescription or I went to the Dr. but I think I will try anyway. Worst case it does cost the same and I don't have the prescription filled. 235.00 per vaccination is crazy!! Insurance covers other preventative things like birth control / HPV vaccine...why not this!

 

[rugbychick16]

My insurance wouldn't cover pre-exposure vaccines at the doctor either but I figured I would give it a try with a prescription and see what happened. I had had scripts written out for other vaccines in the past so that I could have them done while I was "out-of-network" for my insurance.
I didn't call the insurance before I did it but when I brought the script into the pharmacy I had them check and see what my insurance would cover on it before they ordered it. They came back and said $25 would cover all 3 injections. I think we were all a little surprised that it actually worked.

I am defintely going to see if I can do that. Much better than the $225 per shot that I would have to pay otherwise!

 

[NittanyKitty]

No go with the county health offices - they don't have access to the vaccine either, it seems. I'm going to try my doc's office again and see if they'll write a script. Maybe one of the area pharmacies will have it. The travel medicine idea is a good one too. There are a couple practices in the PennCare system that deal with this exclusively, so it's worth a shot. Thanks guys! Hope other people have better luck than me.

 

[Klhughes]

Maybe one of the area pharmacies will have it.

The pharmacy will probably have to order it for you. It's not one that they usually keep in stock. I first checked with Walgreens but they didn't think they could get it in and told me to try the pharmacy at the local grocery store (Kroger) because they did more vaccine stuff there. They were able to order it in for me. I don't know how much this method will help with getting around the shortage cause if its not available, they won't be able to get it either but it helps a lot with the cost.

 

[TSUJC]

Luckily we don't seem to have a shortage here. The student health center told me they have plenty.

I know this might sound a little shady but I want to get some opinions. Since insurance will cover post-exposure vaccinations whey couldn’t I tell the doctor that I handled a bat or came in contact with a stray dog that was behaving funny. They use the same vaccine for pre and post exposure…so maybe I could have insurance cover it after all. Just a thought!

 

[NittanyKitty]

I know this might sound a little shady but I want to get some opinions. Since insurance will cover post-exposure vaccinations whey couldn’t I tell the doctor that I handled a bat or came in contact with a stray dog that was behaving funny. They use the same vaccine for pre and post exposure…so maybe I could have insurance cover it after all. Just a thought!

Haha, I was thinking the same thing myself today!

 

[TSUJC]

I am glad I am not the only one struggling with the cost!

 

[Klhughes]

Luckily we don't seem to have a shortage here. The student health center told me they have plenty.

I know this might sound a little shady but I want to get some opinions. Since insurance will cover post-exposure vaccinations whey couldn’t I tell the doctor that I handled a bat or came in contact with a stray dog that was behaving funny. They use the same vaccine for pre and post exposure…so maybe I could have insurance cover it after all. Just a thought!

I don't know all the goes into a post-exposure vaccine but I know its more than just the 3 doses and apparently very painful. We had a rabid horse come through clinics and one of our classmates came in contact with it before they suspected rabies and had to go through the post-exposure series. He didn't seem to think it was all worth getting the vaccine paid for (the school paid for his since he was an employee at the time).

 

[DocDVMD]

I got my vaccine three years ago and my insurance covered it, thankfully! My doctor had to specially order it. However, I was wondering if I need to get my titers checked before I matriculate into vet school?

 

[Klhughes]

I got my vaccine three years ago and my insurance covered it, thankfully! My doctor had to specially order it. However, I was wondering if I need to get my titers checked before I matriculate into vet school?

That usually depends on the school but they will probably tell you when you get accepted. TN recently started requiring the students to get rabies vaccines when coming in so I would think they will require a titer check but I don't know about the other schools.

 

[chris03333]

Luckily we don't seem to have a shortage here. The student health center told me they have plenty.

I know this might sound a little shady but I want to get some opinions. Since insurance will cover post-exposure vaccinations whey couldn’t I tell the doctor that I handled a bat or came in contact with a stray dog that was behaving funny. They use the same vaccine for pre and post exposure…so maybe I could have insurance cover it after all. Just a thought!

VERY few health insurances cover post exposure! AND post exposure cost $$$ meaning in the thousands, not hundreds...but what are you gonna do, not get them???

 

[TSUJC]

I just learned that the occupational health program where I work is going to cover my rabies vaccinations!!! I am a graduate student at a vet school and I am exposed to many unknown blood samples. They emailed me a clearance form and told me to go to the doctor and get my vaccinations at their expense!! After three years of blood, sweat and tears as a graduate student I am glad I am getting something in return LOL

 

[EqSci]

No go with the county health offices - they don't have access to the vaccine either, it seems. I'm going to try my doc's office again and see if they'll write a script. Maybe one of the area pharmacies will have it. The travel medicine idea is a good one too. There are a couple practices in the PennCare system that deal with this exclusively, so it's worth a shot. Thanks guys! Hope other people have better luck than me.

Have you had any luck finding it? I'm in PA too and I got a no from my doctor and a no from the health department. I'm not sure where to go from here. I know I can get it when I go to Iowa but I'd rather do it this summer and get it over with, especially since I won't be covered under my parent's insurance much longer (not that the insurance will cover it anyway - they wouldn't cover meningitis when it was required - but I'm still holding out a teeny bit of hope)

 

[flyhi]

I have been round and round with my health department here in Nevada and they will not give it to me - i am not a high enough risk according to them. The most frustrating part is that they have the vaccine now (enough for 2 people to get the pre-exposure vaccination) and it expires in 3 months, so if they don't start the series soon for someone, it will go to waste...ARGH.

In my research, i called Novartis - one of the manufacturers - directly and they told me they do not currently have a shortage and could ship it out the next day. All you have to do is have your Provider call them directly to get the vaccine. My health department wouldn't do it because they get their supply from the manufacturer that does have a shortage and God forbid they are able to get through the red tape and actually order from someone else . Very unhappy with them right now.

My Dr. won't give it to me because he is unfamiliar with giving the vaccine. It's such a hassle, but Good Luck.

 

[NittanyKitty]

Have you had any luck finding it? I'm in PA too and I got a no from my doctor and a no from the health department. I'm not sure where to go from here. I know I can get it when I go to Iowa but I'd rather do it this summer and get it over with, especially since I won't be covered under my parent's insurance much longer (not that the insurance will cover it anyway - they wouldn't cover meningitis when it was required - but I'm still holding out a teeny bit of hope)

Yeah, it's been a lot of "no's" for me. Both doctor and health department have said that they don't have it, so I might start branching out to other area practices when I get home for the summer. It's a bummer.

 

[eventualeventer]

My Dr. won't give it to me because he is unfamiliar with giving the vaccine. It's such a hassle, but Good Luck.

Maybe this is a stupid question, but why is the rabies vaccine different from all the other vaccines PCP's give in their offices every day? Any vaccine can give you a sore arm, make you feel punky for a couple days, or send you into anaphylactic shock, so it seems that he should be prepared for these contingencies.

I wonder if the real issue is that he's worried that you will flake out and not get the vaccines or not pay, leaving him with an expensive product that he is not likely to be able to resell. It also involves extra time on the part of the staff in making a special order. Maybe time/money/staffing is the real issue.

 

[EqSci]

Maybe this is a stupid question, but why is the rabies vaccine different from all the other vaccines PCP's give in their offices every day? Any vaccine can give you a sore arm, make you feel punky for a couple days, or send you into anaphylactic shock, so it seems that he should be prepared for these contingencies.

I wonder if the real issue is that he's worried that you will flake out and not get the vaccines or not pay, leaving him with an expensive product that he is not likely to be able to resell. It also involves extra time on the part of the staff in making a special order. Maybe time/money/staffing is the real issue.

I'm guessing all of the above. It's just easier to say no then to take the time to look up how to give them/what intervals/ordering information/explaining to staff what to do with it/etc.