What should you know about exposure to rabies?

Rabies can spread when saliva or nervous tissue from an infected mammal enters broken skin or contacts the eyes, mouth or another mucous membrane. Bites and scratches are important exposures, but a lick on broken skin can also matter. Touching an animal or contact with intact skin is not the same type of exposure.

Do not wait for symptoms. Once illness develops, rabies is extremely serious, so the decision about preventive care should be made by a clinician or public-health service after reviewing the animal, contact and location.

Wash and flush the wound with plenty of running water and soap as soon as possible. If available, use an appropriate antiseptic after washing. Do not seal the wound, cauterise it or apply irritating substances. Avoid handling the animal again; safely record its appearance, behaviour, location and owner details if this can be done without further risk.

Go to an emergency department or urgent-care service the same day and describe exactly what happened. A clinician may recommend rabies post-exposure prophylaxis, with vaccination and other treatment selected according to the exposure and your previous rabies vaccination.

Seek emergency assessment immediately after any possible bite, scratch or saliva contact involving broken skin or the eyes, mouth or nose. Do this even if the wound is painless, tiny or already cleaned, and even if the animal ran away. A delay can affect which preventive treatment is suitable.

Ask whether the contact qualifies as an exposure, whether you need post-exposure prophylaxis, how the animal should be reported or observed, and whether you need tetanus or wound care. Tell the clinician when and where contact happened, the animal species, wound location and your vaccination history.