Bats, Rabies and The Walking Dead…

This story seems a little bit ridiculous and believe me, I can hardly comprehend this series of events, but it did happen and I have the rabies shots schedule to prove it.

It all started in a KFC parking lot, I had just reached my car with food in hand when a tiny little bat landed “SLAP” on my car. Being the animal lover that I am, I didn’t want to hurt the poor little creature, which was now under my rear wheel, struggling to crawl away after the shock of colliding with my car. Without so much as a second thought, I gently picked it up and examined it, making sure its wing wasn’t broken. This was not to the bats liking and it decided to clamp down hand on my finger. Yes! I got bitten by a bat on the finger.

After a series of events where the bat hung upside down on the same finger it had just bitten, scaled my torso, found a perch on my shoulder and took off into the night from there, I began to think like a rational human being. Would I need a rabies shot?

After chatting to my mates I decided to seek treatment at my local Private hospital. The nurse who assisted me was worried about my medical savings because turns out rabies shots cost almost R700 a shot at private hospitals. She advised I go to a Government Hospital where the shots were administered for FREE. Can you believe it? R700 plus consultation vs FREE treatment. I was out of there like well…a bat out of hell.

And, so began an evening of very strange events. I decide to go to Addington Hospital, which is situated on the beach front. I had been to Addington before for an amazing Cancer outreach programme, so I kind of knew what it was like…or so I thought.

That night was like something from an episode of The Walking Dead. There were people screaming in Casualty, bloodied men swaying in the corridors clutching bleeding, open wounds and medical staff running around trying to help paramedics usher in more blood covered people.

Image source: http://gph.is/1oJ2xi5 

I took a deep breath and decided to stop being a scared little white girl. “You are an adult and you need medical attention” I told myself over and over again. As respectfully as possible I approached a nurse who was busy preparing a shot. “Sorry Sister, I can see you’re very busy, but could you please tell me if I’m in the right place to get a rabies shot?” She glared at me for a second and told me to go down the hall to the Trauma unit.

On my way to Trauma I passed more people who looked like they had just lost a fight with a zombie. So much blood. Once at the Trauma Unit counter I asked if I was in the right place. I was handed a slip and told to go back towards the Casualty Unit, past it and to counters 1, 2 and 3.

After waiting a moment or two and man logged in all my details, created a file for me and sent me back the Trauma. Once I was back the nurses gave me a complete schedule of when I have to come back to have my jabs. She led me into one of the consultation rooms and took out a small pre-packed kit. “So nice and easy they make it for us” she said with a smile.

Four shots over almost a month. I quickly learnt that The Walking Dead in the corridors, where according to the nurses, men and women who get paid and drink their money. “It’s okay to have a drink, but these people go too far. Then they come here and we must help them because they get violent and it happens again and again”.
(I have paraphrased a bit)

After this ordeal, I’ve learnt a number of things.
1) Use a cloth if you’re going to pick up a creature that may bite you.
2) Rabies is deadly, the shots hurt and bats are really cute up close.
3) Addington Hospital is old and falling apart, but the staff are efficient and friendly.
4) South Africa’s culture of drinking is very concerning. I’m not talking about your dad who get drunk on week nights or your mates who drink just to get drunk. I’m talking about the people who drink their life away and act violently towards one another.

To find out more about how serious rabies is, check out this link: http://bit.ly/1llOol5