Why do dogs get vaccinated against rabies but not people?
Dear Straight Dope: I go to get my dog vaccinated against rabies, and she’s immune if she ever comes in contact with an infected animal. Humans, meanwhile, have to undergo a series of painful, nausea-producing shots when they come in contact with a rabid animal. Apparently there is no preventative vaccine for homo sapiens. Why can’t humans get a shot every few years like dogs to eliminate the worry and suffering? — Ron Warnick, Belleville, IL There is a vaccination against rabies for humans, but it’s different from the dog version. Rabies (also known as hydrophobia or Lyssavirus) is a very rare disease in humans, so it’s not typically vaccinated against. Between 1980 and 1997, there were only thirty-six human rabies cases in the U.S., and they all died. Rabies is one of a number of diseases for which vaccine is produced but not given to the general population because the cost of prevention (three shots, then two boosters if there’s an exposure, e.g., an animal bite) is so much higher t
