A traveler has issued a stark warning after a simple mishap on vacation nearly cost her her life.
Izzy Sampson, 19, from the UK, jetted off to South East Asia with a friend back in April.
She was having a great time exploring Thailand’s beautiful Phi Phi islands when a minor incident led to the trip taking a horrifying turn.
A stray cat ran across her foot ‘out of no where’ and accidentally scratched her, resulting in a small cut on her toe.
And while the injury didn’t seem bad at first, it ultimately left her facing a potentially life-threatening health scare.
While chatting exclusively with the Daily Mail about the ordeal, Sampson explained, ‘I was stood in the street having a conversation with my friends when a cat ran across my foot out of no where.
‘We think maybe it got startled by something causing it to run the opposite direction, therefore not seeing I was in the way.’
She explained that she small scratch ‘wasn’t too bad,’ but ‘it drew blood,’ and she soon learned that she was at risk of catching rabies.
A traveler has issued a stark warning after a simple mishap on vacation nearly cost her her life
Izzy Sampson, 19, from the UK, was having a great time and exploring Thailand when a minor incident lead to the trip taking a horrifying turn. She’s seen above during the trip
A stray cat ran across her foot ‘out of no where’ and accidentally scratched her, resulting in a small cut on her toe. Pictured above during her trip
According to the CDC, rabies is deadly and spreads primarily through bites or scratches from an infected animal.
‘Rabies primarily affects the central nervous system, leading to severe brain disease and death if medical care is not received before symptoms start,’ it warns.
‘Since 1990, more than 80 people in the United States have died after being infected with rabies during travel.
‘In Africa, Asia and specific areas of Central and South America, rabies in dogs is still a major problem.
‘When traveling, it is important to keep your distance from wild and unfamiliar animals, including dogs and cats.’
Sampson hadn’t received a preventative rabies vaccination because it never occurred to her that she’d be scratched by a wild animal during the trip.
‘It’s quite unlucky to get scratched or bitten by anything especially if you’re not interacting with the animal, which I wasn’t,’ she explained.
‘I knew I was always going to be in a location with a close clinic/hospital so I could get treatment straight away if anything did happen.’ Plus, she said, ‘the vaccine itself is expensive, and I was living in Australia for a couple of months prior to this trip.’
While the injury didn’t seem bad at first, it ultimately lead to her facing a terrifying and potentially life-threatening health scare. Pictured above after the incident
She explained that she small scratch ‘wasn’t too bad,’ but ‘it drew blood,’ and she soon learned that she was at risk of catching rabies. Pictured: a healthcare provider examining her toe
The next morning, Sampson decided to go to the hospital, where doctors gave her an antibody called immunoglobulin – but it had to be injected into the cut itself, which she said was extremely painful – followed by a rabies shot in her arm.
But Sampson’s travel nightmare didn’t end there, as she soon learned she’d have to go back to the hospital three more times to get more shots over the next two weeks.
NHS states, ‘For post-exposure, if you haven’t been vaccinated before, you’ll need four doses of the vaccine over two weeks, plus rabies immunoglobulin.’
Not wanting to put her plans on hold, she continued on with her adventure and traveled across Thailand, stopping in various hospitals every few days to get the vaccine.
‘I think as I had already been traveling for a few months before this happened, and [because] I was with my friend, I didn’t feel the need to fly home or stress too much about the situation,’ she added.
‘I had developed a lot of independence and also had the support of my friend, and I knew the situation was solvable as I acted quickly.’
She said that after her first visit, she needed four more doses of the vaccine, ‘three more in Thailand and one in Indonesia.’
But when she got to Bali, Indonesia, for the last leg of her trip, another problem arose: the country had a shortage of the vaccine.
Doctors gave her an antibody called immunoglobulin – injected into the cut itself, which was extremely painful – followed by a rabies shot in her arm
But Sampson’s travel nightmare didn’t end there, as she soon learned she’d have to go back to the hospital three more times to get more shots over the next two weeks. She’s seen during the trip with her friend
‘Although this wasn’t ideal, the vaccine was always readily available in Thailand so going to the clinic was always fast and efficient.’
But when she reached her final stop, ‘I had to go to about five or six different clinics before I found one that had it in stock.’
Thankfully, she was able to get all her shots in the end, and the travel insurance she had purchased prior to her trip covered the costs.
While it certainly wasn’t the best case scenario, looking back, Sampson said she’s able to laugh at how ‘unlucky’ she was.
She warns others to take any cuts, especially from wild animals, seriously.
‘I’m so glad I got the treatment as you never know what could’ve happened,’ she told the Daily Mail.
‘Now, we look back and think, “What are the chances that I got scratched? So unlucky!” But I am so grateful that I’m okay and that I made the decision I did.’
