My son was bitten by a dog this evening which prompted a bit of Googling, a phone call (thanks SC) and a pointless trip to a local doctor.

I'd not even thought of rabies being an issue here but it is something you need to be aware of.

It seems that only The Institut Pasteur du Cambodge are worth considering.

Here are a couple of things that may be of use should anyone get bitten:

http://www.irinnews.org/report/92334/ca ... rom-rabies

http://www.pasteur-kh.org/services/rabies-prevention/

You're welcome JP, glad you called.

Joker Poker said, "I'd not even thought of rabies being an issue here but it is something you need to be aware of." Indeed it is an issue; more people die of rabies in Cambodia than malaria. We have dogs in rural Cambodia and none of ours or the other village dogs are vaccinated since there is nowhere local to take them. Even more scary, if anyone is bitten by a strange dog and do not take immediate appropriate medical action they will die after the first symptoms appear. It is simply too late then for medical intervention.

We had a rabid dog die in our front yard. The neighbors took it home decapitated it, butchered it then barbequed it I respectfully declined their invitation to join them.

Good post taabarang.

If I knew yesterday what I know today he wouldn't have been playing with the cute little doggie, that's for sure.

is it possible to adapt those tazer devices into a walking stick?

as in stealth it up so it just looks like a cane?

for use against dogs obviously.

you watch the dog that bit the person and if it develops rabid like symptoms you get rabies shots...if it is a stray dog biting for no clear reason and you cannot observe it ,get shots straight away..

Met a backpacker at Otres Beach last year - his lip and chin were stitched up and he was having a series of rabies shots. He had been playing with such a cute little puppy and whoops, it snapped ! Bad idea to cuddle those cute widdle puppies next to your face.
Most have not been vacinated, have been eating shit etc - no matter how cute they seem.

If you get bitten by a dog, or a cat, bat or monkey in Cambodia - go get some rabies shots. It could save your life. As someone said, once the symptoms start, it's probably too late. You will probably also need to take antibiotics for any infection.

All well JP ?

Yes, even scarier is that the incubation period for the virus can last up to one year. In other words you wait for symptoms immediately and seeing none you think the dog wasn't rabid. And do you really want try to keep a stray dog to observe his behavior?

They say that rabies is rampant in Cambodia even though I have never seen a rabid dog. Anyway, also beware of bacterial infections due to that dog bite which in many cases leads quickly to a fully blown sepsis – depending on how deep the bite is. Get some Penicillin (intra muscular).

Caveat - I'm not a doctor, I was an emergency response worker. Most of the following came from medical workers in Oz.

Rabies occurs frequently in the provinces but is very rare in the city. Our medical team looked into this before we relocated as we were considering rabies shots before we came. The advice was that for PP, see a doctor after any animal bite as a precaution, far better to treat rabies symptomatically if you get it than taking the shot series as a preventative. If you're remote and can't access medical care then get the series.

This information also applies to preventing/treating malaria.

After-bite care is to see a doctor. If it's a weekend or middle of the night, check the patient's temperature hourly for at least six and preferably 12 hours. If the patient shows a consistent (say, over 2 hours) rise in temperature of 1.5 degrees Celsius or more - bearing in mind your core temperature fluctuates through the day - then head for a hospital that provides a western level of care.

Note, rabies is fully treatable in an otherwise healthy person if treated within a time window, just treat it with respect. Also, treatment involves multiple injections - if a local doctor tries to give you a single injection they are possibly padding the bill. Probably a good idea to notify your insurer of starting any treatment.

While it's true that rabies can have a long incubation period (as seen in rabies 'season' in the US) a rabid animal will demonstrate aggressive/erratic behaviour. A dog that plays nicely for an hour and then nips or snaps is highly unlikely to be infected.