The Apothecary Shops is offering low-cost rabies booster shots for veterinarians and veterinary staff attending the upcoming American Veterinary Medical Association conference in Atlanta on July 31 and Aug. 1. AVMA attendees who pre-register by Thursday, July 15 will be able to receive a single booster rabies vaccine for $189. The vaccine can normally run about $250 to $300, according to Brett Cordes, DVM, director of animal health for The Apothecary Shops, a chain of independent full-service pharmacies with nine specialty areas including veterinary medicine. The company is offering the vaccines at cost to help draw attention to the importance of vaccination. “Rabies is a serious problem for veterinarians, their staff and animal-care workers,” Dr. Cordes said. “Veterinarians and public officials have done a tremendous job protecting the public from rabies by vaccinating animals. But they, themselves, are not as well protected as they need to be.” To date, the response has been very good, according to Julie Mystrom, marketing director for The Apothecary Shops. More than 30 pre-registration applications have been filled and paid for, and they continue to receive phone calls requesting more information, she said. Pre-registration is important because once the vaccines are ordered from the manufacturer, they can’t be returned, Cordes said. This means that although they plan to order more vaccines than the pre-registration number, there won’t be an abundance of them available for last minute requests. Pre-registration by July 15 will guarantee the discounted rate. Afterward, the vaccines will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis. According to the Center for Disease Control’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, people in the frequent-risk group who have had a pre-exposure booster dose of rabies vaccine should have a serum sample tested for rabies virus neutralizing antibody every two years. Click here to pre-register or for more details. <HOME>
