Getting Rabies And Tetanus Vaccines In Thailand

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Getting Rabies And Tetanus Vaccines In Thailand

Hopefully, this isn’t something that you’ll need to get while visiting Thailand, but it’s good to be informed about these things just in case you need them. The year before last a cat that we used to feed jumped up at my hand and scrammed me while biting me gently at the same time. There was some blood, and as the cat’s saliva had touched the would I decided it was best to get it checked at a local hospital

 

I saw a doctor at St Louis Hospital on Sathorn Road where the doctor thought it was unlikely that the small scratch was infected but suggested I get rabies and tetanus vaccines just to be safe. As rabies is a pretty horrific disease I agreed with his suggestion and got vaccinated. Better safe than sorry.

Rabies in Thailand

Last year (2018)  there was an outbreak of rabies in Thailand that resulted in some people dying. The virus was detected in 40 provinces including Bangkok and Chiang Rai. In the first half of the year, over 400 infected animals were found and three people died. That was double the rate of infection from the previous year

The main carriers of rabies in Thailand are dogs, which is why I always keep away from them. Thailand has millions of strays dogs and who knows which ones of them could be affected at any time. Cows and cats are the next main carriers.

One woman in Bangkok took in a stray dog last year that ended up getting a little aggressive and biting her. She later died of rabies infection. It’s a very sobering thought that you can die so quickly from a dog bite.

Cost of Rabies & Tetanus Vaccines

As I got rabies and tetanus vaccines done at the same time I’ve tried to separate the costs as accurately as possible. It will work out cheaper to get two vaccines done together than separately due to the extra cost of nursing staff,

My initial consultation with the doctor as well as the two initial vaccines came to 1,673 baht. After that, I needed another four rabies vaccine shots and another two tetanus vaccine shots. The additional rabies vaccine jabs cost 645 baht each, while the tetanus jabs cost 200 baht each.

The total cost came to 4,653 baht, which is around $150. The rabies vaccines cost 3,225 baht and the tetanus vaccines cost 600 baht. Add doctor and nurse fees on to those.

Rabies Vaccine

The rabies vaccines need to be spaced apart in the following way:

  • 1st jab when seeing the doctor
  • 2nd jab 3 days later
  • 3rd jab 3 days later
  • 4th jab a week later
  • 5th jab 2 weeks later

I had read that rabies jabs were quite painful, but these days you can hardly feel anything at all, as ultrafine needles are used in the upper arm.

Tetanus Vaccine

The tetanus vaccines need to be spaced apart in the following way:

  • 1st jab when seeing the doctor
  • 2nd jab a month later
  • 3rd jab 5 months later

Obviously, if you’re only in Thailand for a short period of time you may need to continue the jabs back in your home country. It’s important that you take the full course of treatment.