Thumbnail made in Canva. Not actual image of cat that bit me.🐈

I was buying from a store near us one day when I suddenly felt sharp fangs on my right leg. As I looked down, I saw a black cat walking away. I hurriedly went home and washed the affected area with soap and water. I feel like there was no wound and I poured alcohol on my leg to check if it would sting. There was no pain. I spent the next day convincing myself that it's fine and I wouldn't get rabies. But paranoia won in the end and I went to get vaccine the following day.

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San Lazaro Hospital is probably the most well-known facility for animal bites in Manila. It's also one of the oldest hospitals, established in 1577. It's just a 30-minute ride from our house and the vaccines are free so this is where I decided to go to. But there's a catch, you'd have to wait hours in queue before getting your shots. Patience is the key when it comes to government services here in the Philippines and I sure brought plenty. There were so many people when I first arrived that it took me five hours to finally have the vaccines.

I was given two shots of antirabies and one for anti-tetanus. But I had it good compared to the woman next to me as she was given twelve shots. She wasn't even bitten but licked by their pet cat. The difference in our cases is that the cat died, so exposure to rabies was more likely. The follow-up vaccine shots went way faster than the first time as it skipped a few steps. It took me around three hours each for those follow-up days.

Rabies is a very dangerous virus. It can be treated but is time-sensitive. A person should be administered with the vaccine within 24 hours. Once it reaches the brain, vaccines will no longer work as there is a blood-brain barrier that prevents the antibodies from passing through. This is one of those cases where it's better to be safe than sorry. Waiting for hours is a small price to pay if it meant I would still be here for my family. Stay safe, guys.

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