Study says rabies shots often overused

CHICAGO (AP) -- Rabies shots are often overused in treating people bitten by animals, a study found.

About 40,000 shots are given annually in the United States, and the study suggests they may be unnecessary in as many as 40 percent of the patients.

Rabies shots are considered unnecessary if the animal is available for observation or testing and is found to be rabies-free.

But emergency room doctors often have no way of knowing if the animal will be observed and decide to order shots anyway, said Dr. Gregory Moran of the University of California at Los Angeles, who led the study, published in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association.

Control of rabies in domestic animals and development of a vaccine for humans have led to a decline in human cases in the United States from more than 100 yearly in the early 1900s to only about one or two deaths a year. Only 32 cases of human rabies were diagnosed between 1980 and 1996, according to the study.

But rabies has been increasing in wild animals, especially among raccoons, raising fears about humans getting the disease.

The researchers studied 2,030 patients treated in 11 emergency rooms nationwide for animal contact including bites in 1996 to 1998. Fifty-four -- 40 percent -- of the 136 patients who received the vaccine didn't need it, the researchers said.

"The study numbers translate into a huge number of people nationwide who may be receiving inappropriate treatment for rabies," Moran said.

The vaccine in humans used to be dreaded, painful shots in the abdomen. It now consists of five shots in the arm over a one-month period, plus an antibody called immune globulin that helps fight infection. The medication costs about $1,500.

The annual cost of rabies detection, prevention and control in humans exceeds $3 million, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which funded the study.

Copyright 2000 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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