What should you know about mice rabies?

Rabies is a serious infection that can affect the brain and nerves after infected saliva enters the body, usually through a bite or broken skin. Small rodents are not typical rabies carriers, yet the animal, its behaviour, the location, and the circumstances of contact all matter. A scratch without saliva contact is handled differently from a bite, and touching a mouse or its fur is not the same as an exposure.

Wash a bite or scratch immediately with running water and soap, taking care not to scrub tissue harshly. Do not seal a wound with household substances. Seek same-day medical advice and describe exactly what happened, whether skin was broken, and whether saliva reached the eyes, mouth, or an open wound. If the animal can be identified safely, share that information; do not try to capture it. A clinician can decide whether wound care, observation, or rabies post-exposure prophylaxis is appropriate.

Get urgent medical help for a bite to the face, hand, or genitals, a deep or contaminated wound, bleeding that does not settle, or exposure involving the eyes or mouth. Do not wait for symptoms if a possible exposure occurred. Rabies symptoms can begin after an interval, and once illness develops it is extremely serious. Fever, unusual tingling near a wound, confusion, difficulty swallowing, or fear triggered by drinking need emergency assessment.

Ask whether the contact counts as a rabies exposure, whether you need wound treatment or vaccination, and which symptoms should prompt emergency review. Also ask how to monitor the wound for bacterial infection and whether your tetanus protection needs checking.