Can Roaches have Rabies?

[SuperCurl]

I am soon leaving for Taiwan, and I'm in the process of getting some recommended vaccinations. On the list of these recommendations is a rabies shot. I'm assuming that there may be a low risk of rabies in the city, where I will be living, but my doctor informed me that roaches in apartment buildings can carry the virus too. Is she scaring me into paying the extremely high cost of this shot?

[maoman]

There is no rabies in Taiwan. You don't need the shot.

[Visitor]

I've been warned to tone down my language, so I won't say what I really think of your "doctor". Your doctor is full of it. Only mammals can get rabies. Mosquitoes don't spread AIDS, neither. Think about it, if cockroaches carried rabies we'd all be dead by now, there are so many of them in everybody's houses, they'd crawl up in our beds and bite us and every human in the world would die from rabies infection from crazy cockroaches.

[totallytika]

Maoman is right - Taiwan is Rabies free. The most important shots you should get before coming to Taiwan are the Hep immunizations, A, B and the C series. I suggest that instead of going to your local GP who may not be aware of all the ins and outs of this, you should go to your public health clinic. They should have a department which deals specifically with overseas immunizations and have the most up to date info.

I can't find my records right now but I know that the entire series which I received cost me about $110.00 Cdn total.

[grayson]

Only shots ya need for taiwan would be a Hep B and a Tetanus booster. Bring some anti-acid (maalox/mylanta) and some cough syrup (i prefer delsym it's over the counter) just in case the climate change and food doesn't take right away.

Hep B is a 3 shot over 3 months process. If you don't have the time, don't freak you can get them here in Taiwan. Tetanus is a one shot deal. You get this boost once every 5-10 years depending on occupation and lifestyle.

[dix2111]

I don't know what you are talking about but Rabbis are just like the rest of us. they can get roaches too.

[Joesox]

Maoman is right - Taiwan is Rabies free. The most important shots you should get before coming to Taiwan are the Hep immunizations, A, B and the C series.

Consider getting the Japanese B Encephalitis immunization as well. See here for more info:
http://forumosa.com/taiwan/viewtopic.ph ... 062#212062

[MaPoSquid]

Maoman is right - Taiwan is Rabies free. The most important shots you should get before coming to Taiwan are the Hep immunizations, A, B and the C series.

Also get the SARS vaccine.

BTW, unless things have changed in the last three months, there's no vaccine (or treatment) available for HepC, so don't have sex or share needles with anyone who has it.

[brianlkennedy]

Did you see a Taiwanese cockroach foam at the mouth and refuse to drink water; is that what caused you concern? Oh, I did not read your post carefully, you are elsewhere getting ready to move to Taiwan....on a serious note, you might want to report your doctor to the Board of Medical Quality Assurance (or whatever they call it where you live).

Your doctor is either trying to overbill your insurance company, bilk you personally out of some money or they are trying to win a bet with one of their fellow doctors that they can b.s. a patient into believing that roachs can have rabies. Rabies is a disease carried only by mammals, not insects.

Official Disclaimer: Attorney Brian L. Kennedy is not a medical doctor but as a trial attorney he does have the ability to detect b.s. at a range of up to 100 meters away.

As to what shots to get, take the advice of the other posters.

take care,
Brian Juris Docktor

[Neo]

Be sure to update your childhood immunizations, you may need boosters for some of them. I think I took some pills for a polio booster.