Medical Risks & Shortage of Human Rabies Vaccine for University Job

[Nicodemus]

Not sure what your quip is here. I pointed out that some strains of Ebola, if untreated would have mortality rates of near 100%, I believe 'essentially 100%" was the wording I used. Ebola-Z has a 90% mortality rate for individuals being treated (you can scroll up and see some of those aggressive symptom treatments I pointed out). Nothing I said there isn't consistent with reality.



Since HIV research is so "big name" and so much money goes into surely these studies of HIV+ men, who didn't receive treatment, had latent infections and now test negative should be well known. Perhaps you could reference some of these case reports?

I'm going to address your latter point first, to quote the New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/08/science/09askscience.html

A. Unfortunately, because there is no international registry of people with AIDS, no one knows interesting statistics like the longest survivor. Informally, I would say that there are undoubtedly now people with AIDS diagnosed in the late 1980s and early 1990s who are still alive (formally called "long-term survivors" in epidemiologic studies). There are also those who have had H.I.V. infection since the late 1970s or early 1980s, who never developed immunodeficiency or progressed to AIDS, and are called "long-term nonprogressors."

If you really want to debate this point, I don't and would happily choose another disease to illustrate my point. If you want to dig into HIV statistics and ongoing epidemiological studies you should already be aware of, forget it.

To my quip, you're right, you worded it very carefully to make your point; I'll be sure to couch all of my future posts in "nearly", and "essentially", when I'm off by anywhere from a minimum of 10% (Zaire) to 100% (Reston). You said "strains", which is plural, and I'm curious what other strain besides Zaire you were referring to which have a similar lethality.

 

[bobze]

I'm going to address your latter point first, to quote the New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/08/science/09askscience.html
If you really want to debate this point, I don't and would happily choose another disease to illustrate my point. If you want to dig into HIV statistics and ongoing epidemiological studies you should already be aware of, forget it.

Yes I am well aware of non-centralized HIV database. In fact I spent a couple weeks last summer on working on ideas which could solve HIV incidence reporting, thanks to a grant.

That isn't the point though. You said (and I'll quote here for accuracy);

If you look at studies into groups of HIV positive men who, long before any functional treatment existed, survived and are currently negative on any test extant

I am asking you to produce these studies where latently infected HIV men, after no treatment, survive and show up HIV- years later.

I am aware of of only 1 man, who had tested positive for HIV and was later found to be negative. Because of a lucky mutation, HIV is not able to infect his CD4+ blood cells and so the virus was never actually able to establish a latent infection (integration of its DNA into CD4+ cell's DNA). There was never a "real" infection, so to say.

The other groups of individuals are unable to get (and test positive subsequently) for HIV at all, they have mutation(s) to their CCR5 receptors and gene superfamily.

So I am asking you, for case-studies of these individuals. They'd be a pretty big deal and well known to the HIV research community, it shouldn't be hard for you to dig them up (case-studies as in the journal report too btw, not a news paper clipping). If you're unwilling or unable to do so, that's okay I guess (I wouldn't be learning anything I didn't already know) and since you seem to want to move on from HIV, then perhaps we can focus on a more relevant virus for this topic (and incidentally the one which started this off) and provide a case-report(s) of individuals surviving an active rabies virus infection, untreated.

To my quip, you're right, you worded it very carefully to make your point; I'll be sure to couch all of my future posts in "nearly", and "essentially", when I'm off by anywhere from a minimum of 10% (Zaire) to 100% (Reston). You said "strains", which is plural, and I'm curious what other strain besides Zaire you were referring to which have a similar lethality.

Ebola-Z is a species in the Ebola genus. There are multiple strains, or better serotypes of any of the species. Sorry if that was confusing, sometimes I carry over bad habits from clinical micro where we often (and sloppily) use species/strain/serotype interchangeably. However, my initial statement "certain strains of Ebola" was referring to those serotypes found within the Zaire species. We are also still working out the family tree for Ebola, so future groups of what's a species, strain, serotype, subspecies etc. will likely change.

 

[ApplePion]

Does anyone know the risks etc associated with the human rabies shot? .

At one time the vaccine was made with spinal tissue that was infected with rabies virus. The virus was inactive but the spinal tissue could produce dangerous immune responses. But now the vaccine is made with genetically engineered virus or viral antigens, and so is much safer.

You can probably get information from the Physician's Desk Reference, but remember that they will list even very rare side effects as side effects.

 

[jerryinarg]

Im from the USA and live in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I currently have no medical insurance. A small dog jumped up and bit me a few weeks ago. Just a puncture wound, but I found the way he attacked me weird. I stupidly didnt talk with the owner after the incident. I am writing this post to relate my experience in Argentina (a country I don't have much good to say about).

I finally found the one public hospital with the vaccine. I found the right sector and waited a short time. They gave me the 10 year tenanus shot and my first rabies shot. Today I had number 4. This is all totally free. I don't pay a thing. It pains me to see what is going on back in the US. Something is seriously wrong.