Dear Editor,
I had a life lesson yesterday that your readers need to learn too. I did not turn on the lights so did not recognise what I was trying to take out of the sink until it grabbed my finger. It was a bat. Yes, bats can get into the house even when doors and windows are closed.
I used a ‘pooper scooper’ to take it outside, and called Telehealth to get direction. They said it had to be reported to the Health Unit for records. Both insisted I check with a doctor, who insisted that even contact means possibility of infection. It is the saliva on the fur that is as dangerous as a scratch. Ergo, I spent hours getting the first rabies vaccine. There will be 4 more. I learned to take pain killers before going for the first shots. The rest are no problem.
It made me think about the future. Premier Ford is privatising health care. Therefore people like me will not be able to go to the hospital on a precautionary basis because of cost. We will wait for symptoms and when symptoms start, it is much too late. Many would not be able to afford the fancy serum needed. Rabies is deadly, but if there is not money for doctors only the rich will get treatment, just like in the US. Private care makes public care impossible, and only the rich win. I will be fine but will my great-grandchildren? Will they be able to go to the hospital as a precaution?
It is time to fight for public care. Rabies will always be around as will disease. We all get them, but in US-style medicine even the rich can lose everything getting treatments. We need to fight now. Tomorrow it may be too late.
Sincerely,
Roberta Docherty, Meaford
