How Does a Man Dying of Rabies Relate to Anti-Vaxxers?
He refused proven medical treatment and later died. Sound familiar?
An Illinois man in his 80s woke up to a horrible event one night in August. His neck was being bitten by a bat as he slept in his home. The man called the authorities, the bat was removed, and tested for rabies.
However, when the test came back positive, and the man was advised to begin rabies treatment immediately, he refused.
According to the Illinois Department of Health (IDPH), about a month after the bite, the man experienced the typical symptoms of rabies, such as headaches, neck pain, finger numbness, and difficulty speaking.
Once a person is ill with rabies, there is no known treatment. Most people die unless they get a round of shots immediately after exposure. And that is what happened to this man.
IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said in a news release,
“Rabies has the highest mortality rate of any disease. However, there is life-saving treatment for individuals who quickly seek care after being exposed to an animal with rabies. If you think you may have been exposed to rabies, immediately seek medical attention and follow the recommendations of health care providers and public health officials.”
This is why if you’ve been bitten by an animal that may harbor rabies, doctors advise you get treated right away, even if there is only a chance you may have been infected.
What is the treatment for rabies?
Rabies treatment consists of a series of four shots given over 14 days. The shots are reportedly painful, they can be expensive, and it is inconvenient to have to follow the vaccination schedule.
Even so, wouldn’t a two-week inconvenience and a bit of pain be preferable to dying of rabies?
Why refuse a needed treatment?
There is no information as to why the man chose to not get the shots. Did he not have transportation? Was he worried it would cost too much? I would expect the health department could have worked something out to help him if he lacked resources, but again, this is only me speculating.
Maybe he just didn’t think it could happen to him.
But whatever the reason, he became the first human in the state of Illinois to die of rabies since 1954.
If you need a rabies shot, why wouldn’t you get one? Similarly, why risk your life with Covid?
As for the Covid shot, they are easy to obtain in the U.S. at no cost. Some cities even have programs where they will come to you to administer the vaccine. But because it’s exploded into one giant political mess, much like the man with rabies, people are refusing to get a preventive treatment that could save their life.
Former vaccine deniers are dying sad deaths
Recently, five conservative radio hosts that were vehemently against the vaccine have all ended up dying of Covid. What must their listeners think? And will it spur any of them to get vaccinated?
There are no details on the Illinois man’s final hours, but death by rabies is not a pleasant one.
Neither is lying in a hospital bed away from loved ones breathing your last breaths on a ventilator. And yet, there are many people still refusing to get the life-saving Covid vaccine that has been administered millions by now without ill effects.
Like the man with rabies, these deaths are preventable. But once it’s too late, there’s no going back.
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