Prevention of Rabies?

The advent of scientific medicine makes rabies control possible, not by cure but by prevention.

Unlike other immunizations, the rabies vaccine is administered after exposure to the virus. This unusual technique is successful because the rabies virus takes a comparatively long time to induce disease, a minimum of 10 days, and in rare cases, up to a year.

The length of the incubation period apparently depends on both the location of the wound - the farther from the brain, the longer the incubation - and the dose of virus received.

No matter where the wound, authorities emphasize that the first and most valuable preventive measure is thorough cleaning of the site with soap and water, and immediate medical attention.

If rabies vaccine treatment is called for, it should be started as soon as possible after exposure. Counting the first day of vaccine treatment as day 0, injections are administered on days 0, 3, 7, 14, and 28.

In addition to vaccine, patients who have not previously been vaccinated for rabies also receive an injection of rabies immune globulin (RIG) on the day they get the first vaccine (day 0).

RIG is prepared from the blood of persons who have been immunized against rabies and contains antibodies to the rabies virus. This "passive" immunity helps protect patients during the period before the rabies vaccine causes their own immune system to counter the virus (active immunity).