What should you know about survived rabies?

Rabies can spread after a bite, scratch, or saliva contact with broken skin or mucous membranes from an infected animal. The wound may look minor, and a person may feel well at first. That early period does not confirm safety. Medical staff assess the animal, the type of contact, the body site, and vaccination history before deciding on post-exposure treatment.

Once neurological symptoms begin, rabies is a medical emergency. Possible symptoms include unusual sensations near the exposure, fever, agitation, confusion, difficulty swallowing, or fear and spasms triggered by attempts to drink. These signs have other possible causes, but they require urgent assessment when an exposure could have occurred.

Wash a bite or scratch immediately with plenty of soap and running water, without scrubbing deeply or sealing the wound yourself. Seek urgent medical care and explain exactly what happened, when it occurred, which animal was involved, and whether the animal can be safely observed by public-health authorities. Do not wait for symptoms or for an animal to become unwell before asking for advice. Post-exposure treatment can include vaccination and, for some exposures, rabies immunoglobulin.

Go to emergency care immediately after a high-risk bite, scratch, or saliva exposure, especially from a stray, wild, or unavailable animal. Also seek emergency help for fever, confusion, new weakness, difficulty swallowing, abnormal fear of water, agitation, or spasms after a possible exposure. Keep away from saliva contact with other people while waiting for medical advice.

Tell the clinician whether the skin was broken, where the wound is, whether saliva contacted the eyes or mouth, what happened to the animal, and which rabies or tetanus vaccines you have received. Ask whether you need post-exposure treatment and when each dose is due.