Some vaccines give you weakened pathogens so you can build an immunity. Others give you temporary relief by giving you antibodies, but how do rabies vaccines work since they give them to you only once after you've been bitten by a rabid animal?

kaylofgorons

Check this out. From "When Raccoons Attack" "We agree, especially after he explains that the agonizing stomach shots most people still fear haven't been used for 30 years. To our great relief, today's treatment is infinitely less draconian. On the first day we will begin with intramuscular injections of immune globulin, a thick concoction of antibodies that jump-starts an immune response to any potential rabies virus in our blood. Rudy and I each get four of these shots deep in the muscles of our thighs and butts. Debbie and Jack, who weigh less, get three and two shots respectively. The injections are a little painful but not unbearable. Then we each receive an additional single shot of live rabies vaccine in the shoulder. This contains a genetically altered virus designed to trigger our immune systems to begin producing our own natural antibodies to the disease. Over the next 28 days, the doctor says, we'll need to come back four more times on a precise schedule to receive additional doses of vaccine. It's reassuring to learn that no human who's adhered to such post-exposure treatment has ever come down with rabies. The main downside is some temporary muscle tenderness in the injection sites and the arguably more painful financial burden of the shot series, which comes to an estimated $1,500 per individual." Dec 10 04, 9:53 PM

kaylofgorons

Same article. Some of you guys might appreciate this description. Lead to the rabies shots mentioned above. "There, beside a patch of Big Boy tomatoes, stand our two pugs, Lefty and Biscuit, with something scruffy and feral wedged between them. It takes a moment to realize what exactly is happening. A 20-pound raccoon has affixed its teeth to the jowly flesh of Biscuit's muzzle and won't let go. I grab a shovel and pin the raccoon's torso to the ground, which only intensifies the creature's screams. Putting my full weight into it, I try to shovel the attacking beast in half. Debbie grabs Biscuit's trunk and tries to yank her free, but the raccoon's teeth refuse to unclamp. Debbie yells for our friend Rudy Plese, who's inside working on a carpentry job. He runs out and grabs another shovel. "Hit it on the head," shouts Debbie, whose own hands are now perilously close to the raccoon's teeth. Rudy raps the beast's brainpan once, then again, and again. "Whack it harder," I say, trying my best to snap its spine with my own shovel. A half dozen hits later, the raccoon finally surrenders its death grip on Biscuit, who skedaddles loose, her normally curly tail straightened from trauma. Now that Rudy finally has a clean shot, he gives the raccoon two more blows to the head. Finally, its eyes bulge, blood spurts from its nostrils, and the demon dies." Dec 10 04, 9:56 PM