The importance of keeping your travel vaccinations up to date
The importance of keeping your travel vaccinations up to date
The importance of keeping your travel vaccinations up to date was highlighted this past week when a British lady tragically lost her life as a result of contracting rabies after receiving a scratch from a dog in Morocco. (Read the news story here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c98wyllp170o). Our deepest condolences go to her family and friends as they deal with such a tragic loss.
The news of the loss of this lady (Yvonne Ford) may well be news that saves my life. I too was scratched by a puppy on our recent trip to Morocco.
Rabies Risk
At the time it was all too easy for me to play down the risk of rabies. It was only a tiny scratch on my toe from a puppy vying for my attention, and who I was deliberately ignoring while walking down a flight of steps in the seaside town of Taghazout, Morocco.
I cleaned the scratch as soon as I got back to the van. In my ignorant mind I thought rabies could only be transmitted by a bite or saliva so I thought nothing more about this tiny wee scratch. That is until we read the tragic news of Yvonne’s death on Wednesday night. How wrong I was.
Travel Vaccinations
Knowing my re vaccination due dates were long since passed (my last rabies re vaccination due date was in 2007, and my previous tetanus jab only covered me until 2024), the only course of action I could now take was to immediately contact our travel insurance company in the UK for advice. It was a fraught phone call late on Wednesday night from a car park somewhere north of Salamanca in Spain.
Given that I got the scratch in early May, I had no symptoms, and it had since disappeared completely, I felt a fool for even asking for advice so long after the event. And of course I felt foolish too for not having kept my travel vaccinations up to date. I was well aware that Morocco was home to many stray dogs and cats, and knew that rabies was prevalent throughout the country. We are notoriously bad at research and advance planning, and only decided to go to Morocco three days before we arrived, but that is no excuse for not being properly prepared and protected. On this occasion our spontaneity and subsequent ignorance about how rabies is transmitted could have cost us dearly.
Travel Insurance & Treatment
It was the following morning (Thursday) before we heard back from the Travel Insurance Medical Team & Case Manager. There were numerous phone calls, texts and emails confirming the high risk and the urgent need for a full course of treatment, and to get to a hospital as soon as possible.
We were already en route to Santander for our upcoming ferry so it made sense to go to the main public hospital there.
Trying to explain why I was there was baffling to the nursing staff – I’d been scratched by a dog six weeks ago in Morocco, the scratch long since gone, and I had no symptoms, but yet I wanted treatment to prevent rabies. All of this communication was not helped by the language barrier.
Five and a half hours later, with two nurses poised with needles (my least favourite things), one at each arm, I got jabbed with the first of four rabies vaccines, and one tetanus shot.
I got another treatment in the Santander hospital today (Sunday), and will have the final two doses administered in England. (We are returning to England this week as the MOT is due on CloudNine). We can only hope now that this course of treatment will prevent any symptoms of rabies developing.
Interestingly enough the triage nurse who was baffled by my initial explanation on Thursday, and who was on duty again for my second appointment today, confirmed she had since seen the shocking news story about Yvonne’s death and now understood the urgency of the treatment.
Prepare & Protect
I urge anyone who is planning a trip to Morocco, or any country where rabies is prevalent to please make sure your travel vaccinations are up to date. Morocco is full of stray animals, particularly cats and dogs. Rabies is a deadly disease, and if left untreated, it is almost always fatal. So, if bitten or scratched, however trivial you might think it is, you need to seek medical advice immediately as it can be some time before any symptoms develop.
If the story of the tragic death of Yvonne Ford prompted me to seek medical intervention, and my story prompts others to better prepare themselves, then lives may be saved from untimely deaths.
May Yvonne rest in peace, and may her family seek solace knowing that by sharing her story they may have saved others from a similar fate.
Prevention
Rabies is a preventable disease. Please make sure you are protected against it by keeping your travel vaccinations up to date. And most importantly, get urgent medical attention if you do get bitten, scratched or licked by a stray animal no matter how small or insignificant you think it is. Let my lesson be a reminder on the importance of keeping your travel vaccinations up to date, and the need to seek immediate medical intervention.
Useful Travel Vaccination Information
For more information on rabies in Morocco and how to prevent it visit: https://travelhealthpro.org.uk/country/154/morocco#Vaccine_Recommendations
For travel vaccination advise visit https://www.nhs.uk/vaccinations/travel-vaccinations/travel-vaccination-advice/
For country specific vaccine recommendations visit: https://travelhealthpro.org.uk/countries
#TravelVaccinations #Rabies #Morocco #YourHealthIsYourWealth
