Prevention and Control of Rabies

Rabies is a serious infection that can spread when saliva from an infected mammal enters the body through a bite, scratch, or contact with the eyes, mouth, or broken skin. Dogs are a major source in many regions, but bats and other mammals can also transmit it. Touching an animal, or contact with intact skin, is not the same as an exposure.

Do not approach, feed, or handle unfamiliar, sick, injured, or unusually behaved animals. Keep pets vaccinated according to veterinary advice, supervise children around animals, and avoid trying to catch or examine an animal after an incident. A clinician may assess the animal, the type of contact, and local rabies risk when deciding whether preventive treatment is needed.

Immediately wash a bite or scratch thoroughly with soap and running water. If available, an appropriate antiseptic can be used after washing. Do not seal the wound with a tight dressing, and do not delay medical assessment while looking for the animal or waiting for symptoms.

Contact urgent medical care as soon as possible, even if the wound looks small or the animal seemed well. Treatment may include a course of rabies vaccine and, for some exposures, rabies immunoglobulin placed around the wound. These measures work before illness develops; once symptoms begin, rabies is extremely serious.

Seek urgent medical assessment after any bite or scratch from a bat or mammal that could carry rabies, or if saliva may have reached broken skin, the eyes, nose, or mouth. Also seek advice when the animal cannot be observed or its vaccination status is unknown. Do not wait for fever, tingling near the wound, difficulty swallowing, confusion, or unusual fear of water; these can signal advanced illness.

Ask whether the contact counts as a rabies exposure, whether the wound needs additional care, which preventive treatment is appropriate, and when each dose should be given. Tell the clinician when and where the incident occurred, what animal was involved, whether saliva contacted a wound or mucous membrane, and whether the animal is available for assessment.