RABIES VACCINE
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Many Vaccine Information Statements are available in Spanish and other languages. See http://www.immunize.org/vis.

1 What is rabies?
Rabies is a serious disease. It is caused by a virus.

should get rabies
3 Whovaccine and when?
Preventive Vaccination (No Exposure)

Rabies is mainly a disease of animals. Humans getrabies when they are bitten by infected animals.
At ﬁrst there might not be any symptoms. But weeks,or even months after a bite, rabies can cause pain,
fatigue, headaches, fever, and irritability. These arefollowed by seizures, hallucinations, and paralysis.
Human rabies is almost always fatal.
Wild animals - especially bats - are themost common source ofhuman rabies infection in
the United States.

• People at high risk of exposure to rabies, such as
veterinarians, animal handlers, rabies laboratory
workers, spelunkers, and rabies biologics production
workers should be offered rabies vaccine.
• The vaccine should also be considered for:- People whose activities bring them into frequent contact
with rabies virus or with possibly rabid animals.
- International travelers who are likely to come incontact with animals in parts of the world whererabies is common.

The pre-exposure schedule for rabies vaccination is 3
doses, given at the following times:
Skunks, raccoons, dogs,
Dose 1: As appropriate
cats, coyotes, foxes
Dose 2: 7 days after Dose 1
and other mammals canDose 3: 21 days or 28 days after Dose 1
also transmit the disease.
qqFor laboratory workers and others who may be
Human rabies is rare in
repeatedly exposed to rabies virus, periodic testing for
the United States. There have been only 55 cases
immunity is recommended, and booster doses should be
diagnosed since 1990.
given as needed. (Testing or booster doses are not recHowever, between 16,000 and 39,000 people areommended for travelers.) Ask your doctor for details.
vaccinated each year as a precaution after animal bites.
Vaccination After an Exposure
Also, rabies is far more common in other parts of
the world, with about 40,000 - 70,000 rabies-related
Anyone who has been bitten by an animal, or who
deaths worldwide each year. Bites from unvaccinatedotherwise may have been exposed to rabies, shoulddogs cause most of these cases.
clean the wound and see a doctor immediately. The
doctor will determine if they need to be vaccinated.
Rabies vaccine can prevent rabies
A person who is exposed and has never been
vaccinated against rabies should get 4 doses of rabies
Rabies vaccine
vaccine - one dose right away, and additional doses on
Rabies vaccine is given to people at high risk of rabies the 3rd, 7th, and 14th days. They should also getto protect them if they are exposed. It can also prevent another shot called Rabies Immune Globulin at thethe disease if it is given to a person after they havesame time as the ﬁrst dose.
been exposed.
A person who has been previously vaccinated should get
2 doses of rabies vaccine - one right away and anotherRabies vaccine is made from killed rabies virus. Iton the 3rd day. Rabies Immune Globulin is not needed.
cannot cause rabies.

2

4 Tell your doctor if . . .
Talk with a doctor before getting rabies vaccine if you:1) ever had a serious (life-threatening) allergic
reaction to a previous dose of rabies vaccine, or to
any component of the vaccine; tell your doctor if
you have any severe allergies,2) have a weakened immune system because of:- HIV/AIDS or another disease that affects theimmune system,- treatment with drugs that affect the immunesystem, such as steroids,- cancer, or cancer treatment with radiation ordrugs.

NOTE: Several brands of rabies vaccine are available
in the United States, and reactions may vary between
brands. Your provider can give you more information
about a particular brand.

if there is a moderate
6 Whator severe reaction?
What should I look for?
Any unusual condition, such as a severe allergic
reaction or a high fever. If a severe allergic reaction
occurred, it would be within a few minutes to an hour
after the shot. Signs of a serious allergic reaction caninclude difﬁculty breathing, weakness, hoarseness or
wheezing, a fast heart beat, hives, dizziness, paleness,or swelling of the throat.

If you have a minor illnesses, such as a cold, you canbe vaccinated. If you are moderately or severely ill,
What should I do?
you should probably wait until you recover before
getting a routine (non-exposure) dose of rabies vaccine. • Call a doctor, or get the person to a doctor rightaway.
If you have been exposed to rabies virus, you should
get the vaccine regardless of any other illnesses you
may have.

are the risks from
5 Whatrabies vaccine?

• Tell your doctor what happened, the date and time it
happened, and when the vaccination was given.
• Ask your provider to report the reaction by ﬁling a
Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS)
form. Or you can ﬁle this report through the VAERS
website at www.vaers.hhs.gov, or by calling
1-800-822-7967.

A vaccine, like any medicine, is capable of causing
serious problems, such as severe allergic reactions.
VAERS does not provide medical advice.
The risk of a vaccine causing serious harm, or death, isextremely small. Serious problems from rabies
vaccine are very rare.
How can I learn more?

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Mild Problems• soreness, redness, swelling, or itching wherethe shot was given (30% - 74%)
• headache, nausea, abdominal pain, muscleaches, dizziness (5% - 40%)
Moderate Problems• hives, pain in the joints, fever (about 6% ofbooster doses)
Other nervous system disorders, such as
Guillain Barré syndrome (GBS), have beenreported after rabies vaccine, but this happens
so rarely that it is not known whether they are
related to the vaccine.

• Ask your doctor or other health care provider.
They can give you the vaccine package insert orsuggest other sources of information.
• Call your local or state health department.
• Contact the Centers for Disease Control andPrevention (CDC):- Visit CDC’s rabies website ath
www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/rabies

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Vaccine Information StatementRabies

10/6/2009