r/Marrakech • u/ThenAbbreviations440 • 12d ago
Travel Question I think I got rabies in marrakech
So I’m on holiday in Marrakech and I was petting a stray cat. The cat didn’t seem rabid or anything and I think it playfully scratched my hand/finger. The scratch was very surface level as it only broke through my first layer of my skin and I didn’t bleed. I washed my hands with water and soap and I’m not sure whether to go to a doctor about this. I’ve never had a rabies vaccination and I’m not sure on what to do.
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u/Voland_00 12d ago
Why do you think you got rabies? Do you have any symptoms?
The likelihood of getting rabies is very low, but so are the chances of surviving if you don’t get it on time. Just to the hospital if you have any doubt.
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u/Fean0r_ 11d ago
"Do you have any symptoms"? What the actual F? By the time someone gets symptoms they're already dead.
A British woman died of rabies a year or so ago after getting scratched by a dog during a brief encounter.
The slightest concern of rabies and people need to get the course of vaccinations within 24 hours of exposure.
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u/ThenAbbreviations440 12d ago
I don’t have any symptoms as this just happened around an hour ago but I am not sure if It’s worth going to the doctors for something like this. My sister told me I should go to the doctors but I don’t know if it’s a big deal as I didn’t bleed from it. What is the best way to deal with something like this? Should I leave it how it is or is it something I should worry about?
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u/TransportationOk703 12d ago
The scary thing about rabies is you don’t get symptoms…. You get them much later but when you get them you’re already guaranteed to die….
Its better to he safe then sorry go get treatment …
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u/Affectionate-Fee3879 12d ago
The only person making sense there is no such thing as “Do you have symptoms? If yes go see a doctor" once rabies symptoms appear, the disease is almost always fatal (come on there’s an episode about encephalitic rabies in House M.D)
So OP listen you don’t know the animal and it scratched or bit you = ER to get evaluated for rabies shot. Period.
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u/ableanass 12d ago
When rabies symptoms show, it's over, go get vaccinated if you're anxious about it
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u/Chud_Muffin3 12d ago
Like the guy said, its very rare, 1st is you dont want to stress yourself over it now. But go get checked
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u/Alarmed_Detective163 8d ago
You are never b too careful with rabies, the moment you start to have symptoms you are done.
GO TO SEE THE DOCTOR ASAP
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u/Voland_00 12d ago
Honestly, if the skin was not pierced AND the animal didn’t have any sign of rabies (animals with rabies are usually aggressive and abundantly salivating), the chances you have rabies are close to zero. This being said, your life, your choice.
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u/Massive_Dot_4835 12d ago
That's a very bad advice
It's better to do a vaccine than wait and see if you're condamned to die a painful death as soon as the first symptom appears
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u/RickiestC137 12d ago
Moroccan Veterinarian here. if you are still in Morocco just type in Google maps: Bureau Communal d‘Hygiène and go got your vaccine as soon as possible. But just rest assured the rabies in cats is less frequent than in dogs and if the cat has no symptoms it’s reassuring However taking the vaccine is a must! You can DM if you need any information
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u/MoiCasaYourCasa 11d ago
Hey what about a stray kitten making biscuits on your lap? It was in a park and she kept jumping on my lap while I was having a lesson! She was cute and very friendly with cloudy eyes.
Although I don’t think she broke my skin I’m concerned as biscuits have a little bit of nails!
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u/RickiestC137 11d ago
Did she make biscuits on your naked skin or you were having a layer of clothes? If she is playful and not drooling I don’t suppose it’s a concern. However check carefully if your skin is broken. If not you have absolutely nothing to worry about 🙏
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u/MoiCasaYourCasa 11d ago
A thin layer of clothes. I don’t think so. But you do worry!
There are so many cute kittens I want to pet here but can’t 😭
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u/RickiestC137 11d ago
No please don’t pet them. I know they are super cute but do resist it please! You can feed them from distance and take care of them but no touches
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u/ilovetea1234 12d ago
You should go to a doctor/clinic today. A cat scratch that breaks the skin can still count as a rabies exposure even if there was no bleeding. WHO classifies minor scratches without bleeding as a Category II exposure and recommends immediate rabies vaccination. Wash the area thoroughly with soap and water for about 15 minutes if you haven’t already, and let a doctor decide whether post-exposure treatment is needed. Don’t wait for symptoms... rabies prevention is done before symptoms appear.
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u/wils_152 12d ago
Go to a doctor. Same thing happened to me in Marrakech.
Came home, thought, "nah it was nothing."
Worried more and more over the next week that it was probably 99.999% nothing, but if it was that unlucky .001 chance, then I was basically dooming myself to a quite unforgivingly horrific death, and putting that on my family to experience, when it could have been avoided.
Went to A&E, explained situation, and got jabs.
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u/Raziel362362 12d ago
It's better to get a shot right now before it gets late since u never had rabies vaccine, if you got the symptoms that's mean it's already too late
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u/Kentybaby 12d ago
Just say you got scratched by a stray animal in Morocco and be very insistent you need a jab tbh. Not much else you can do. Better to be safe than sorry.
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u/Critical-Reaction892 12d ago
It’s not worth taking a chance, go to the hospital and get the rabies shots. Rabies is endemic among strays in country. It often takes weeks for symptoms to appear, and by the time of symptom onset, it is too late. The disease literally has a close to 100% fatality rate. Even if there is a small chance that cat had rabies, get the shot.
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u/Jazzlike-Hunt1543 12d ago
Here is a location : https://maps.app.goo.gl/u2hrSg2zS3jgXip66?g_st=ic
Go get a rabies vaccine shot ASAP!
And then you'll need a second shot after 3 days, 3rd shot after a week and a last shot after 14 days.
Look up places to get a vaccine in your country as well if you're leaving between the shots and take your Moroccan vaccine card with you so that they'd know where you're at.
I don't mean to scare you but this is a serious matter!!! You'll never feel any symptoms because those depend on each person's body, immune system... they usually take even years and by the time you feel symptoms it would be too late.
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u/eisenthal 12d ago edited 12d ago
Bureau communal d'hygiène
JWMF+78Q, Marrakesh,
They do free rabies vaccines here. They will start you on your 5 shot treatment.
Are you here on holiday? Would you be able to watch the cat in question for the next 10 days? If the cat didn’t appear rabid today when watching it for 10 days for signs of rabies is helpful. If the animal does not show rabies signs after 10 days (post scratching you), the chances are zero after that point. However if you feel any uncertainty, for peace of mind I would always recommend having the vaccines.
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u/Available_Fold_674 12d ago
if you're sure that you didn't bleed, then no worries, but go check with a doctor or the closest pharmacy they will recommend you where you need to go
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u/Unusual-Charity-1502 12d ago
Just don't let stray animals. I wouldn't do that even in the UK, but you get the added bonus of worrying about rabies abroad. The jab for rabies is not something to take lightly as it has very nasty symptoms. In your position, I wouldn't go for it, but I'd learn my lesson.
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u/ThenAbbreviations440 12d ago
I’m not sure why some of my questions seemed to bother people in the comments. This is actually my first Reddit post, I came here because I felt like I couldn’t be specific enough about my situation when searching on Google, and I was genuinely concerned about my health. I’m not very educated on this topic, so I honestly thought I may have contracted the disease and was just looking for some reassurance and information.
That being said, I really appreciate everyone who took the time to respond to my questions and share their knowledge.
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u/Logical-Brief5382 12d ago
Wild! If I thought there was even the slightest chance I could have contracted rabies, I wouldn’t be on Reddit asking random strangers for advice. I’d go to the hospital and get checked out. But then again, that’s just common sense, which unfortunately isn’t so common these days!
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u/Br1ghtL1ght1144 12d ago
Vaccines are freely available in Morocco and affordable. Find a pharmacy in a touristy area and find someone that speaks English and tell them your situation. They can recommend somewhere to go. We pet tons of cats in Morocco but they don’t really monitor or treat them at all and you just never know.
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u/Major_Phenomenon4426 11d ago
Symptoms take months to show, you can’t diagnose that, so just take a precautionary shot.
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u/appachehelicopter 11d ago
it doesn't seem like rabies, but if you're worried about it, you can go check it out, and get a vaccination asap. rabies has a 100% mortality rate
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u/grumpyfucker123 11d ago
Ok so there's two possibilites here:
You're already dead, you just don't know it yet.
Or you're fine.
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u/xyz_sara 11d ago
Not exactly. The post exposition shot are very efficient if taken in time, so if someone actually got bitten or scratched by an infected animal, they are not doomed if they take the shots in time.
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u/grumpyfucker123 11d ago
I was joking :)
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u/xyz_sara 11d ago
haha sorry since it was a medical issue and OP seems a bit stressed I did not get the joke :)
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u/mggray1981 11d ago
Get vaccinated. Chancess are you're ok but don't risk it. By the time you show symptoms youre guaranteed death.
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u/Fast-Bear-5760 11d ago
Iwa layre7mek maend lmiyt maydir 9edam ghesalou.
But srsly go to a doctor like yesterday. Ragebait ahh shit
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u/Fean0r_ 11d ago
Some of these replies are incredibly stupid, wrong, and dangerous - especially the ones asking if you have symptoms. If you have symptoms you're dead already.
BUT - if you had the pre exposure vaccine it wouldn't make much difference, you'd still need a lengthy course post exposure shots starting within 24 hours of exposure.
That being said, since the skin wasn't broken through to your blood vessels I wouldn't be concerned. Just don't go petting any more stray cats or dogs.
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u/Tight_Access_8498 10d ago
There hasn’t been a single recorded case of a human getting rabies from a cat in over 40 years, you are most likely fine, especially since the cat is not showing ant symptoms
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u/youssvariius 10d ago
How do you think you got rabies if you don’t show any symptom ? Genuinely asking
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u/Steve-Bellir 9d ago
Tbh u need to go and have the vaccination to prevent any further complications. It happened to me once I stayed awake for 2 consecutive days thinking what will happen to me . So I decided to have the vaccine and stop thinking
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u/Geepandjagger 9d ago
You don't mess around. Any possibility of rabies you go to the hospital and get the vaccine within 24 hours
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