It is transmitted by a bite from a rabid animal (meaning an animal infected with rabies virus). Travelers to rabies-enzootic countries should be warned about the risk of rabies exposure and educated as to how to avoid animal bites. Travelers should be advised that they may experience local reactions after vaccination such as pain, erythema, swelling, or itching at the injection site, or mild systemic reactions such as headache, nausea, abdominal pain, muscle aches, and dizziness. If you have any questions about rabies vaccine, please talk Animals carrying the infection can spread rabies to humans through bites and scratches. Travelers should be advised to not approach or otherwise interact with monkeys or carry food while monkeys are near, especially around monkeys that are habituated to tourists. We link primary sources including studies, scientific references, and statistics within each article and also list them in the resources section at the bottom of our articles. Rabies is present in 150 countries and all continents except Antarctica and the Arctic. Cookies used to track the effectiveness of CDC public health campaigns through clickthrough data. Pregnancy is not a contraindication to PEP. The prevalence of rabies varies widely in different countries. Saving Lives, Protecting People, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID), Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology (DHCPP). Youll typically only receive a preventive rabies vaccine if you: The rabies vaccine does not provide lifelong protection. If 2 doses of rabies vaccine cannot be completed before travel, the traveler should not start the series, as few data exist to guide PEP after a partial immunization series. Doctors administer the rabies vaccine into the upper arm. It passes from animals to humans through contaminated, West Nile Virus (WNV) is a virus that infects animals and humans after being bitten by various types of infected mosquitoes. WHO recommendations on the post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) Vaccinations and immunization Dog rabies control and veterinary vaccines Impact 2 strategies Post exposure prophylaxis (PEP) and Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) For example, commercially available purified Vero cell rabies vaccine and purified duck embryo cell vaccine are acceptable alternatives if available. This vaccine is to be given only by or under the supervision of your doctor or other health care professional. This is called post-exposure prophylaxis. Hicks DJ, et al. These cookies may also be used for advertising purposes by these third parties. Last medically reviewed on September 26, 2022. Before getting vaccinated, let your doctor know if youve ever had an allergic reaction to a vaccine. Tell your doctor and pharmacist about all of your drugs (prescription or OTC, natural products, vitamins) and health problems. If suturing is necessary to control bleeding or for functional or cosmetic reasons, rabies immune globulin (RIG) should be injected into all wounded tissues before suturing. Abbreviations: HDCV, human diploid cell vaccine; IM, intramuscular; PCEC, purified chick embryo cell. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention. For example, if you get two doses of the rabies vaccine as a preventive measure, youll need a booster dose in 2 years if you still have a high risk of exposure to rabies. Saving Lives, Protecting People, www.cdc.gov/rabies/specific_groups/doctors/ante_mortem.html, www.cdc.gov/rabies/resources/specimen-submission-guidelines.html, updated PrEP recommendations, published in May, 2022, Updated recommendations, published in May, 2022, Chapter 6, Travel Insurance, Travel Health Insurance & Medical Evacuation Insurance, Updated PrEP recommendations, published in May, 2022, www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5902a1.htm, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID), Division of Global Migration and Quarantine (DGMQ), Obtencin de atencin mdica en el extranjero, Zika: A CDC Guide for Travelers infographic, Guidelines for US Citizens and Residents Living in Areas with Zika, Cholera Information for Health Care Professionals, Genomic Surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 Variants. 2011 Dec 19;195(11-12):6735. You will need to talk about the benefits and risks If you have not yet received the vaccine and were exposed to the rabies virus, you will need a total of 5 doses on 5 different days within a 1-month period. Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a healthcare professional. Rebecca Strong is a Boston-based freelance writer covering health and wellness, fitness, food, lifestyle, and beauty. Linking to a non-federal website does not constitute an endorsement by CDC or any of its employees of the sponsors or the information and products presented on the website. Failure to seroconvert after the third dose should be managed in consultation with their physician and appropriate public health officials. privacy practices. Learn more. Always consult your healthcare provider to ensure the information displayed on this page applies to your personal circumstances. But if you do happen to encounter an unvaccinated or wild animal, a postexposure rabies vaccine can save your life. The first dose of the 4-dose course should be administered as soon as possible after exposure (day 0). In very rare cases, allergic reactions to vaccine components may trigger anaphylaxis. There is a very small risk for the transmission of viral diseases. other information we have about you. This medicine is made from donated human blood. Drug class: Viral vaccines. These cookies may also be used for advertising purposes by these third parties. If you have any doubts about an animals vaccine status, you should assume it may have rabies and contact your doctor immediately if the animal: Maybe you came into contact with an animal that could have rabies, but dont know for sure if the animal bit you. Most of these have not been vaccinated and encountered the virus through wild animals, such as bats. Rabies is a serious illness caused by a virus. These rabies vaccine side effects usually disappear within a few days. By law, you must have a veterinarian vaccination your dogs and cats gegen rabies. You'll soon start receiving the latest Mayo Clinic health information you requested in your inbox. If you are a veterinarian, work with animals, or will be going to a country where rabies is common, you are at risk for exposure to the rabies virus. People report between 60 and 70 dogs and around 250 cats as rabid each year in the U.S. Call your doctor or pharmacist for instructions. It can also replicate within muscle tissue, where it is safe from the hosts immune system. There is a very small risk for the transmission of viral diseases. Do not start, stop, or change the dose of For persons previously unvaccinated with rabies vaccine, the reduced regimen of 4 1-mL doses of HDCV or PCECV should be administered intramuscularly. Instead, they reserve it for those at high risk of rabies exposure, such as laboratory staff working with the virus that causes the disease, veterinarians, and people likely to receive animal bites. In this case, you should assume it bit you and call your doctor or head to the emergency room immediately. Thank you for taking the time to confirm your preferences. We explain first aid tips for dog bite treatment at home, plus signs of, A Pfizer respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine protected infants and older adults from illness caused by this virus, according to interim results. Bats carrying rabies exist in all U.S. states except Hawaii. Well help you find the right care. How do I view different file formats (PDF, DOC, PPT, MPEG) on this site? 1. Cookies used to enable you to share pages and content that you find interesting on CDC.gov through third party social networking and other websites. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. If a person has a bite or scratch from an animal that may have rabies, or if the animal licks an open wound, the individual should immediately wash any bites and scratches for 15 minutes with soapy water, povidone iodine, or detergent. Pre-travel consults and certain vaccines are not routinely covered by insurance and may require payment at the time of service. Epidemiology and burden of disease. A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. If 2 doses of rabies vaccine cannot be completed before travel, the traveler should not start the series, as few data exist to guide PEP after a partial immunization series. You can usually treat them with over-the-counter medications like ibuprofen or acetaminophen. You may also choose to get the vaccine if you plan to travel to countries where rabies is endemic, or regularly found. 1998-2023 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER). Stray or unwanted dogs, cats or ferrets involved in an exposure that could potentially transmit rabies should be confined and observed as outlined above. Effective immediately, the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) recommends that the rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (RPEP) protocol for healthy (nonimmunosuppressed) persons not previously immunized for rabies include only 4 doses of vaccine given on days 0, 3, 7, and 14, rather than the previously recommended five doses of vaccine. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. The last may involve urgent importation of rabies biologics or travel to where PEP is available. To people who have had a bite or scratch from an animal which might have rabies, to prevent them getting the rabies infection. It is an RNA virus of the rhabdovirus family that can affect the body in one of two ways. For more information about this message, please visit this page: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The first rabies vaccine for your pet will always be a 1-year and requires a booster one year later. Thanks to widespread animal vaccination, rabies has significantly declined in the United States. Travelers should be educated to not handle bats or other wildlife and consider the need for personal protective equipment before entering caves where bats may be found, given the risk for exposures to rabies virus, Histoplasma spp., viral hemorrhagic fever viruses, or other bat-associated pathogens. 3. If this is not possible, immunosuppressed people who are at risk for rabies should have their antibody titers checked after vaccination. The Health Department issued the rabies alert for Bunnell and the Korona community in response to a raccoon that tested positive on Tuesday after attacking a dog. 3Five vaccine doses for the immunosuppressed patient. help if any of these side effects or any other side effects bother you or do not go away: These are not all of the side effects that may occur. Use of a modified preexposure prophylaxis vaccination schedule to prevent human rabies: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices United States, 2022. These include headache, weakness, fever, shakes, aches, pains, and sweating. For example, you might wake up to find a bat in your bedroom. In addition, unpurified antirabies serum of equine origin might still be used in some countries where neither human nor equine RIG is available. MMWR Recomm Rep. 2010 Mar 19;59(RR-2):19. Doctors do not offer the rabies vaccine routinely. MNT is the registered trade mark of Healthline Media. 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