Vaccination against rabies in humans helps prevent the development of a fatal disease that is transmitted through the bites of an infected animal. This infection is caused by rhabdoviruses and cannot be treated when symptoms first appear. Therefore, in order to save a person’s life, it is important to get rabies injections in a timely manner.
When should you get vaccinated?
The main source of rabies is wild animals (wolves, foxes, bats). However, infection can also occur after a pet bite. Infection develops when the saliva of a sick animal comes into contact with the wound surface or mucous membranes of a person during bites. Vaccination is mandatory in the following cases:
- A wild animal or an unvaccinated pet has bitten, caused a scratch, and there has been contact between saliva and damaged skin. It is necessary to observe the animal for 10 days. During this time, the patient receives 3 injections of rabies vaccine. If the animal remains alive, then no further vaccination is necessary;
- If the animal’s condition cannot be tracked, then full vaccination is carried out;
- A bite from a wolf, bat, or fox that is thought to be initially infected with rabies.
If the patient has completed the full course of primary immunization for a year, then it is enough to give 3 injections of the vaccine on the day of infection, on the 3rd and 7th days. If more than 12 months have passed since vaccination, then a full course of 6 injections is prescribed.
When not to vaccinate
Vaccination is not carried out if the possibility of infection of a person is excluded:
- The animal's saliva was in contact with intact skin;
- After eating dishes made from the meat of rabid animals;
- The animal bit through thick clothing, so the incident did not cause penetrating damage;
- The wound was caused by the claws of a bird. Mammals, unlike birds, can retain saliva on their paws, so their scratches are dangerous;
- The wound came from a pet that was vaccinated within 12 months prior to injury and has no symptoms of disease.
Important! If bites are located on the face, neck or hands, then vaccination is always carried out. After all, a vaccinated animal can be a carrier of rabies.
How many injections will be required?
Previously, 40 painful injections were required to prevent the development of rabies. Thanks to the development of medicine, it was possible to create an innovative vaccine that will reliably protect against viral disease in 6 injections. However, injections should be carried out on strictly defined days, excluding missed vaccinations.
In humans, rabies has a long incubation period, so it is important to complete the full course of immunization. The required number of injections is determined by the location of the bite. The greatest danger is from injuries to the face, arms, neck and chest. Then it is necessary to inject immunoglobulin into the bite area. This will help prevent the development of the infectious process within 10 days, which are necessary for the synthesis of one’s own antibodies.
How is vaccination carried out?
To build immunity, rabies vaccinations are given to people at risk. A full course of vaccination involves three doses of the vaccine. In this case, the second injection is given 7 days after the first immunization, and the third – after 3-4 weeks. The injection site is the upper arm.
The rabies vaccine is given to unvaccinated people after being bitten when there is a risk of infection. Rabies immunoglobulin and vaccine are usually used. Ideally, therapy begins within the first 24 hours after injury.
When visiting the emergency room, the doctor injects immunoglobulin into the wound area and surrounding healthy tissue. This will prevent the virus from entering the bloodstream and nervous system. The rabies vaccine must also be administered on the day of treatment. Next, vaccinations are carried out on days 3, 7, 14 and 28 after the first injection. If the animal remains alive after 10 days or after its euthanasia the absence of rabies is proven, then vaccination can be stopped. 
Who is recommended for prophylaxis?
Rabies vaccination can be routine or emergency. Immunization is routinely carried out once every 2-3 years in the following groups of patients:
- Employees of veterinary clinics who are constantly in contact with animals;
- People who catch and euthanize stray animals work in a slaughterhouse;
- Children who are unable to talk about animal bites;
- Laboratory staff;
- People who process livestock products;
- Speleologists;
- Employees of some bio-industrial facilities;
- Travelers planning to travel to countries where rabies is common.
As an emergency, a person is vaccinated against rabies within 1-3 days after receiving an injury from a stray animal. If the animal turns out to be healthy, then the course of injections is stopped.
Main contraindications to immunization
All vaccine preparations can lead to the development of adverse events; rabies vaccines are no exception. Therefore, it is recommended to refuse vaccination in the following cases:
- Pregnancy regardless of duration;
- Allergy to antibiotics;
- The period of exacerbation of chronic pathologies, the development of acute infectious processes;
- History of allergic reactions to the administration of vaccine preparations;
- Hypersensitivity to vaccine ingredients;
- Immunodeficiency states.
It is important to consider that the listed restrictions apply only to preventive immunization, which is carried out before contact with animals. If the saliva of a sick animal gets on the wound surface, then rabies vaccination is carried out even if there are contraindications. After all, vaccination is the only way to save a person’s life.
Possible side effects
According to numerous clinical studies, vaccine preparations have virtually no side effects. However, the risk of developing undesirable symptoms increases if the patient is intolerant to certain ingredients of the vaccine.
The following side effects may develop:
- Soreness, swelling, redness of the area where the rabies vaccine was administered. Local adverse reactions occur in 50-74% of patients;
- Headaches, dizziness;
- Development of pain in the abdomen and muscles;
- Nausea;
- Fever;
- Allergies, which include the development of angioedema;
- Urticaria, joint pain, fever develop (in 6% of patients);
- It is extremely rare that vaccination causes Guillain-Barre syndrome, which is characterized by flaccid paresis and sensory disturbances. The listed symptoms usually disappear after 12 weeks.
What anti-rabies vaccinations are there?
Vaccination against rabies involves the introduction of an anti-rabies vaccine: KOKAV, Rabivak, Rabipur. Vaccine preparations are created on the basis of an infectious agent that is grown on special crops and has undergone a thorough purification and inactivation procedure. The latter process completely eliminates the development of an infectious disease after vaccination.
Anti-rabies immunoglobulin is used, which helps to temporarily protect the body from the spread of the rabies pathogen after a bite. The drug contains specific antibodies that can neutralize viral particles. It can be created from human or horse serum.
Interaction with other drugs
Vaccination against rabies in humans is not recommended against the background of the use of immunosuppressive and radiation treatment, chemotherapy, the use of cytostatics, glucocorticosteroids, and antimalarial drugs. The listed groups of medications adversely affect the production of specific antibodies to the virus that causes rabies. Therefore, treatment should be suspended during vaccination.
Important! During immunosuppressive therapy or in immunocompromised individuals, immunization may not be effective.
Is vaccination a panacea for rabies?
For average people, vaccination is an effective method that 100% prevents the development of a fatal disease. However, in the following cases, immunization may not prevent infection:
- Congenital immunodeficiency;
- Long-term use of glucocorticosteroids or immunosuppressive drugs;
- Late treatment;
- The conditions for transportation and storage of the rabies vaccine were violated;
- Drinking ethanol-based drinks for 6 months after vaccination;
- Skipping an injection.
Administration of the rabies vaccine is the only effective method of treating the disease. Vaccination is recommended immediately after contact with infected animals. After all, vaccination can save if a person has no signs of the disease. If characteristic symptoms develop, the probability of death reaches 99%.
According to the World Health Organization, more than fifty thousand people die from rabies every year. At the present stage of medical development, no methods of combating this disease other than vaccinations have yet been found. People often have questions: what complications might occur if the rabies vaccination is combined with drinking alcohol, how this will affect the body’s immunity, whether the risk of infection will increase, and so on. To answer these questions, it is worth considering the mechanism of the rabies vaccination itself and doctors’ recommendations on this matter.
Rabies and alcohol - how to combine disease prevention with drinking alcohol and is it worth doing it at all? If a person systematically drank alcohol before the threat of contracting rabies, is it possible to drink after vaccination, and if not, how much should one not drink?
Rabies vaccinations
The rabies virus can be transmitted to humans through infection through the saliva of infected animals and their blood. There have also been several cases of transmission of the virus by airborne droplets, through food, and as a result of pregnancy to the fetus through the placenta. This virus is very dangerous - if after infection it develops into an infectious disease, death is inevitable. Humanity has not yet learned to treat rabies, so the only significant remedy against its occurrence can only be considered prevention. All people at risk of contracting rabies are given a rabies vaccine. For the greatest effect, it should be administered as early as possible after possible infection to prevent the virus from spreading. If it manages to reach the brain and the first symptoms of infection of the nervous system begin to appear, there is no way to help the person.
Important! Rabies vaccinations must begin within the first 3 days after possible infection. The vaccine is administered through injections 6 times over 3 months. Thus, the period of immunization against rabies for a person who has completed the entire course is 1 year.
The vaccine against this virus has no contraindications, if only because rabies is a 100 percent fatal disease, and any possible complications after taking it are not so important. The vaccination is given to anyone, be it an infant, a teenager, a pregnant woman or an elderly person.
You can find out about rabies infection only after the first symptoms of the disease appear, when treatment is no longer useful. Therefore, a course of vaccinations must be started at the slightest possibility of infection. If entry of the virus, as happens in the vast majority of cases, is expected through the bite of an animal, you need to try to find this animal. The fact is that a sick animal becomes infectious approximately 8-9 days before death from rabies. If the animal is still alive 10 days after the bite, then the course of vaccinations can be stopped, since it does not have this disease.
Alcohol and rabies vaccinations
Many people are interested in whether they should drink alcohol after a rabies vaccination. Restrictions on the consumption of alcoholic beverages during a vaccination course in case of suspected rabies infection are prescribed only in the regulatory documentation of the Russian Federation. The World Health Organization does not give any prohibitions regarding the consumption of alcoholic beverages during this course. Why it is only in Russia that you cannot officially drink alcohol during such treatment - no one knows.
Most doctors advise against drinking alcoholic beverages very often. And this is understandable, because alcohol, especially in excessive quantities, has a negative effect on completely healthy people. What can we say about the sick? Considering the fact that in our time it is still not possible to cure the rabies virus that has reached the brain, and the person will definitely die, perhaps it is worth doing everything to prevent infection.
The rabies virus, having entered the body, begins its advance to the brain. The speed at which the first symptoms appear depends greatly on the location of the bite - the closer to the head, the less distance the virus will need to travel. For head and neck bites, it can reach the brain within a few days.
Important! If a drunk person is bitten by a rabid animal, regardless of the amount of alcohol consumed, you should not wait until the effects of the alcohol wear off; a rabies vaccination should be given as early as possible.
According to Russian instructions, the inadmissibility of drinking alcohol throughout the entire vaccination course and for another six months after is explained by the possible occurrence of an allergic reaction. The vaccinations themselves may have the following consequences:
- Dizziness;
- Muscle pain;
- Nausea, vomiting;
- Itching, swelling;
- Discomfort and pain in the stomach.
Important! If you drink alcohol immediately after a rabies injection and feel unwell afterwards, it is possible that your body has reacted to the vaccine as an allergen.
The danger of drinking alcohol after receiving a rabies vaccination injection is that it may mask the symptoms. If the body nevertheless reacts to the vaccine as an allergen, there is a possibility of anaphylactic shock. Even though the risk of anaphylactic shock, which can lead to death, is extremely small, you should still not drink immediately after injections. There is also another equally dangerous allergic reaction that is possible in this case - Quincke's edema.
Most doctors agree that drinking alcohol does not have a harmful effect on the result of such vaccination, but they still do not recommend drinking alcohol after a rabies vaccination while treatment is ongoing. The explanation is quite simple: alcohol can disrupt the vaccination schedule and cause people to skip vaccinations, which threatens the spread of the virus, even if it is potential. Although a person who drinks alcohol in excessive doses before vaccination will most likely continue to drink it afterward, he is unlikely to drink less alcohol if he is an alcoholic. It is important to help such people understand the seriousness of this disease and ensure that they complete the entire course of preventive treatment.
Rabies is a deadly virus found in more than 155 countries and for which there is no cure. It does not like the external environment and dies in 15 minutes if the temperature rises to 55-60 0, and in 2 minutes when boiling. Ultraviolet rays, sun and alcohol can also kill the virus. It is transmitted mainly through the saliva of a sick animal, for example, if a mad dog bites, it does not matter where he did it and you need to go to the hospital as soon as possible. In such a situation, immediate action should be taken and the person should be vaccinated against rabies in the first days after infection.
In order to understand how long the rabies vaccination works, you need to focus on the administered medicine and consult a doctor. Basically, the effect of the injection is not eternal and the resulting immunity will only last for a short period of time (1-3 years). Animals should receive a rabies vaccine once a year to prevent infection. People are given vaccinations against this virus if they wish, but many countries, such as Thailand, have introduced a mandatory vaccination procedure.
A cure for rabies has never been invented, but its development can be stopped if a human rabies vaccine called COCAV is administered in time. It is used for both children and adults in the same quantity and according to an identical scheme. If a person has not been vaccinated against this virus in the next year or the likelihood of infection is extremely high, then an injection of immunoglobulin (a drug to stimulate immunity) will be required.
Injections against the rabies virus are given only if there is suspicion, for example, after an animal has bitten or licked a wound. The procedure is performed in any emergency room. In the old days, doctors gave the patient 40 injections in the stomach, but now it is enough to perform 6 injections.
Treatment of rabies in humans begins on the first day after the bite in the form of a vaccine injection. Next, there is a vaccination schedule of 3, 7, 14, 28 and the final one will be performed on the 90th day.
The resulting immunity will protect a person from the virus and prevent it from developing beyond the incubation period. Anyone can afford such a course, because it is free and the question of how much a rabies vaccination costs is relevant only for animals. This became possible after the government allocated funds for mandatory vaccination.
Sometimes people have the opportunity to monitor an animal that has bitten. In such a situation, you can understand how many injections need to be given on the 10th day, because if the dog is alive and well, then the doctor will cancel the course of treatment.
Rabies vaccinations are usually given intramuscularly just below the shoulder, and if children are infected, then in the outer thigh. Some experts do not recommend such injections into the gluteal muscle.
Vaccine effectiveness
After a series of rabies injections, a person is usually in no danger. Only the following factors can distort the effect:
- Immunity killed by third-party pathologies;
- Long-term use of glucocorticoid and immunosuppressive medications;
- Delaying the first injection for 2 or more weeks;
- Violations of the quantity, expiration date, treatment regimen and storage conditions of the vaccine;
- Drinking alcoholic beverages;
- Skipping an injection.
If you avoid all of the above factors, rabies injections will work. Otherwise, you will not be able to achieve results and you need to stop standing still and notify your doctor about this.
Timing of medication administration
You should always try to get your rabies vaccination on time, because it is the most important part of prevention. The disease occurs differently in animals and people, and the timing of drug administration, as well as the development of pathology, depends on the following nuances:
- The time from the moment the virus enters the body until the first signs appear is usually from 10-14 days to a year. That is why rabies vaccination should be performed if there is even minimal suspicion. After all, people, having forgotten about the incident and not seeing any signs in the first weeks, think that it has passed, but the disease can develop a little later. You can reduce the probability to virtually zero with the help of 3 doses of the vaccine and 1 immunoglobulin, and for complete protection it is recommended to complete the entire course;
- The virus is not transmitted from person to another person. However, there have been cases where rabies was transmitted along with a transplanted organ. This is possible while the disease is in the incubation period;
- It injects mainly into children, because they play with animals more often than others. Sometimes it is not possible to save children because they are afraid to talk about the bite, especially because of the stories that they need to take 40 injections against this virus.
Timely vaccination against rabies helps the body synthesize antibodies. They block the entry of the virus into the nerve fibers, which prevents it from entering the CNS (central nervous system) and causing acute encephalitis. It is from this that patients most often die.
The incubation phase of the disease lasts a certain period of time, which depends on the location of the bite. The fastest developing virus is one that enters the body through the upper part of the body (from the torso and above). Rabies manifests itself much more slowly if the lower half (below the torso) was bitten.
The host of the virus is most often wild animals (wolves, foxes, etc.) and it is they who most often infect people. In second place are stray dogs. If a pet has bitten, then in such a situation they usually do not give rabies injections. After all, such animals undergo annual vaccination and it is enough to observe them for 10 days.
Side effects after injection
Sometimes after a rabies vaccination for a person, side effects are observed in the first weeks and then disappear. Among them are the following:
- Nausea, vomiting;
- Trophoneurotic edema (Quincke's edema);
- Trembling in the arms and legs;
- Pain in muscles, joints and gastrointestinal tract;
- General weakness;
- Temperature surges;
- Hives;
- Dizziness.
Side effects from the rabies vaccine do not always occur and go away quickly. This often happens if there are contraindications or the procedure was performed incorrectly.
Primary and secondary prevention
In order for the child to develop good immunity, the rabies vaccination is given 3 times. The second injection is usually prescribed a week after the first, and the third after 3-4 weeks. This type of prevention is called primary prevention and is performed to prevent the virus from occurring in the baby.
Vaccinating a child against rabies provides temporary protection against the virus, but if it is not there and the baby has been bitten, then it is advisable to find out whether the animal has this disease. Most often this cannot be done and you will have to undergo a course of injections. It consists of 1 injection of immunoglobulin and 6 injections of the COCAB vaccine, 5 of which must be given within 28 days, and the last within 90 days.
The body temperature most often does not rise after vaccination and it is better to start therapy no later than 1-2 days from the moment of the bite. Immediately after the incident, it is advisable to immediately treat the damaged area. To do this, you should superficially treat the wound with an antiseptic solution and inject immunoglobulin into it. This medicine is recommended to be injected into the surrounding tissues. The dosage is selected individually and is based on the person’s body weight. The remaining permissible amount of medicine should be injected intramuscularly away from the bite.
After vaccination, the injection of immunoglobulin should be made as far as possible from the site where COCAV was administered. This injection is performed only once and this is enough to synthesize antibodies in the blood. Over time, under the influence of the vaccine, the body itself will be able to produce them. Repeated administration of immunoglobulin is prohibited, since the second injection can disrupt the functioning of the produced antibodies and their synthesis.
Often, a standard drug administration scheme is used, namely at 0, 3, 7, 14, 28, 90. They must be carried out strictly on time and it is forbidden to drink alcohol during this period of time, so as not to reduce the effectiveness of the vaccine. It is permissible to interrupt the course of injections only if the animal that bitten turned out to be healthy. Such preventive measures are called secondary, that is, taken after a bite and without prior vaccination.
Contraindications
This type of vaccination also has its own contraindications, which must be taken into account before prescribing a course of injections, namely:
- Oncological diseases;
- HIV infection (AIDS);
- Remaining side effects from the previous vaccine.
Primary prevention is not carried out if the immune system is severely weakened, especially for children. If adverse reactions to the vaccine occur, treatment is carried out with antihistamines. If a person has egg white intolerance, then experts prohibit the use of drugs based on chicken embryos.
Scientists know quite a few diseases that cannot be successfully treated. Some of these illnesses pose a serious threat to health and cause disability, or even worse, death. Rabies is an infectious disease that is transmitted to humans from sick animals through bites. If you suspect infection with such a disease, you cannot do without vaccination. So, the topic of our conversation today will be the rabies vaccine for humans. Let's talk about the side effects of the injection and answer the question of where to get it.
Rabies vaccine for humans
When should you get a rabies vaccination? As we know, in the case of influenza, the vaccine against it should be received 2-3 months before the outbreak of the epidemic, so that the body can have time to develop immunity to the corresponding type of virus. Is this probably the case with the rabies virus? Unfortunately, it is not.
Rabies vaccination for patients who are suspected of possibly developing such a disease is carried out literally without delay, that is, in the very next hours after they were bitten by animals. Many people are sure that to prevent such a disorder they give as many as forty injections, but in reality, only six injections are given, completely ridding the patient of the aggressive virus. The first rabies injection is given to a person immediately after the patient is admitted to a medical facility, the second on the third day, the third on the seventh, the fourth on the fourteenth, the fifth on the thirties, and the sixth on the nineties.
Doctors say that rabies vaccination is the only possible method of treating this dangerous disease. In some cases, the patient may not receive the entire course of therapy. If the animal is observed for ten days and its health remains normal, vaccine therapy can be discontinued.
To prevent rabies, concentrated purified culture-based rabies vaccine, abbreviated COCAV, is used. For example, it could be " ". In most cases, doctors administer one milliliter of the active substance intramuscularly. For adult patients, as well as adolescents, the drug is injected into the deltoid muscle - into the shoulder. For children, the vaccine is injected into the outer thigh.
Statistics show that the rabies vaccine can prevent the development of the disease in 96-98% of cases. However, vaccination must be carried out no later than the fourteenth day after the bite occurred. Immunity gains strength approximately two weeks after vaccinations, and it reaches its maximum only after thirty to forty days. The duration of post-vaccination immunity is one year.
Only the correct course of vaccination makes it possible to avoid inevitable death.
When is a vaccine ineffective?
In some cases, vaccination does not give a positive result, resulting in death. The uselessness of the vaccine is possible if the patient has a congenital weakness of the immune system, which may be explained by congenital diseases.
Also, immunization may not give a positive result if the patient takes immunosuppressants or glucocorticoids for a long time. The vaccine turns out to be useless even if treatment was started untimely, if COCAV was not stored or administered correctly. Of course, the administration of the vaccine does not have a positive effect even if the patient does not show up for the procedure on time or if he drinks alcohol. It is worth noting that it is alcohol that most often makes therapy ineffective.
Does the rabies vaccine have side effects for humans?
It is worth noting that in most cases, the rabies vaccine is relatively easily tolerated by patients and does not cause any unpleasant symptoms. If we talk about possible side effects, the most common of them are local reactions - itching, redness, rash.
Other side effects such as tremors in the limbs, fever, joint pain, dizziness and urticaria appear much less frequently. In some cases, the rabies vaccine causes abdominal pain, severe weakness, muscle soreness and vomiting.
Where can a person be vaccinated against rabies?
If you are bitten by an animal that may be infected with rabies, the first thing you should do is go to the emergency room of a nearby hospital. This is where you will receive your first dose of the vaccine. Next, the traumatologist will tell you where to go for subsequent injections.
For rabies vaccination to be as effective as possible, the patient must adhere to several recommendations. They must be observed throughout the entire course of vaccination, as well as for six months after it.
So all patients who have been vaccinated need to. They are strictly contraindicated from physical fatigue, overheating in the sun or in a bathhouse (sauna), as well as. Each of these factors can weaken the effect of the vaccine by an order of magnitude, reduce the production of antibodies and undermine the immune system. If vaccination is carried out in patients who are taking corticosteroids and immunosuppressants, they must determine the amount of rabies antibodies in the blood. If antibodies are not produced, an additional course of therapy is carried out.
It is worth noting that there is not a single absolute contraindication to post-exposure vaccination, since rabies is a fatal disease. That is why during pregnancy and acute pathologies COKAV is still administered.
Rabies is a deadly disease, the development of which can be prevented with timely vaccination.
Ekaterina, www.site
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You won't surprise anyone with a stray dog in the city. Especially in the spring, when it’s time for a “dog wedding”. Despite the fact that utility workers organize the capture of animals, many run away and hide. In addition, some of them are quite aggressive, and on occasion they can bite an adult or even a child. It is not a fact that the animal will be rabid, but in order to be sure of this, it needs to be observed for some time. And this is not always possible.
Therefore, to prevent such a dangerous and fatal disease without treatment as rabies, it is necessary to undergo a course of rabies vaccine. Where are rabies injections given? After all, just a decade ago they scared children, don’t touch the dog, they will give you 40 injections in the stomach! But what is the situation now?
To become infected with this disease, the virus must enter the bloodstream from a sick animal. As a rule, this occurs through a bite, since infected animals are not particularly friendly. Almost any animal, both domestic and wild, can get sick. These are cats, dogs, wolves, basement rats, and even bats. So infected foxes begin to come out of the forest towards people and come quite close, which is not typical for a wild animal.
Therefore, with bites and a fearful question about where rabies injections are given, people who, due to their professional duties, often communicate with animals, most often turn to the doctor. These are rangers, veterinarians, trainers, hunters, slaughterhouse workers and those who catch stray animals, as well as residents of villages and towns located near the forest.
After a bite and penetration of the virus into the blood, the disease does not manifest itself immediately. The incubation period lasts for 1–8 weeks. The closer the bite is to the face and to the center of the body, the faster rabies develops. Deep and ragged bites are also dangerous. A small bite or salivation of a wound on the extremities is more favorable for the prognosis. By the way, the majority of those bitten become infected with the virus (from 20 to 90%), but not all.
What to do if you are bitten?
1. Wash the wound under running water and soap.
3. If the wound is severe, then you need to call an ambulance so that, in addition to the rabies vaccine, painkillers are administered, the bite is treated and an antiseptic bandage is applied.
4. If a pet is bitten, it is quarantined and observed. No walks or contact with other people or animals, only feeding. Over the next 10 days, a sick animal will begin to show aggressiveness, fear of hydrophobia, and then die.
Some sources advise not to inject until the animal is dead. But his illness can last for 10 days, and the incubation period in some cases lasts a week, and the vaccine is effective even before the first signs of rabies appear. If they appear before treatment, the prognosis worsens significantly.
Where are rabies injections given?
Over the past decade, science has come a long way, and 40 injections in the stomach are no longer necessary. Six injections are enough to be sure that the virus is defeated.
The first injection is given immediately after the patient’s initial visit. The second - on the 3rd day, the third - on the 7th, the fourth - on the 14th, the fifth - on the 30th, the last - on the 90th. Where are rabies injections given? Nowadays they are no longer given in the stomach; the injection is intramuscular; it can be done in the buttock or in the deltoid muscle of the shoulder. The number of injections depends on how dangerous the bite is. If it is small, located far from the face and body, and it is also possible to observe a sick animal, then perhaps the doctor will limit himself to prescribing three injections. In other conditions, all 6 injections are indicated.
Vaccination helps the body produce antibodies against the rabies virus. In parallel with this, during the first three days, ready-made anti-rabies immunoglobulin is additionally administered. When indicated, everyone is vaccinated, even pregnant women. During the injection period, rabies vaccine is prohibited.
When does a vaccine not help?
There are cases when emergency preventive measures do not produce results. This:
- Acquired or congenital immunodeficiencies, including HIV infection.
- Taking medications that suppress the immune system (cytostatics, hormones).
- Failure to comply with the rules for storing the vaccine, as well as untimely administration, including through the fault of the patient.
- Drinking alcohol.
Now you know not only where rabies injections are given, but also how to behave in the event of an animal bite. Rabies is incurable, but with timely treatment at a medical facility, the disease can be prevented.