In this Article

• How do people get rabies?
• Can I get rabies in any way other than an animal bite?
• How soon after an exposure should I seek medical attention?
• What medical attention do I need if I am exposed to rabies?
• Will the rabies vaccine make me sick?
• What if I cannot get rabies vaccine on the day I am supposed to get my next dose?
• Can rabies be transmitted from one person to another?
• How can I protect myself from getting rabies?
• How can I protect my pet from rabies?
• Why does my pet need the rabies vaccine?
• What happens if a neighborhood dog or cat bites me?
• What happens if my pet (cat, dog, ferret) is bitten by a wild animal?
• I am moving to a rabies-free country and want to take my pets with me. Where can I get more information?
• What animals get rabies?
• How can I find out what animals have rabies in my area?
• What is the risk of rabies from squirrels, mice, rats, and other rodents?
• Do bats get rabies?
• What should I do if I come in contact with a bat?
• What should I do if I find a bat in my home?
• How can I tell if a bat has rabies?
• Should I be concerned about rabies when I travel outside the United States?
• Should I receive rabies preexposure prophylaxis before traveling to other countries?
• If I get preexposure vaccination before I travel, am I protected if I am bitten?
• I am moving to a rabies-free country and want to take my pets with me. Where can I get more information?
• Rabies Glossary
• Rabies Index

5. Q: Will the rabies vaccine make me sick?

A: Adverse reactions to rabies vaccine and immune globulin are not common. Newer vaccines in use today cause fewer adverse reactions than previously available vaccines. Mild, local reactions to the rabies vaccine, such as pain, redness, swelling, or itching at the injection site, have been reported. Rarely, symptoms such as headache, nausea, abdominal pain, muscle aches, and dizziness have been reported. Local pain and low-grade fever may follow injection of rabies immune globulin.

6. Q: What if I cannot get rabies vaccine on the day I am supposed to get my next dose?

A: Consult with your doctor or state or local public health officials for recommended times if there is going to be a change in the recommended schedule of shots. Rabies prevention is a serious matter and changes should not be made in the schedule of doses.

7. Q: Can rabies be transmitted from one person to another?

A: The only well-documented documented cases of rabies caused by human-to-human transmission occurred among 8 recipients of transplanted corneas, and recently among three recipients of solid organs (see MMWR article). Guidelines for acceptance of suitable cornea and organ donations, as well as the rarity of human rabies in the United States, reduce this risk. In addition to transmission from cornea and organ transplants, bite and non-bite exposures inflicted by infected humans could theoretically transmit rabies, but no such cases have been documented. Casual contact, such as touching a person with rabies or contact with non-infectious fluid or tissue (urine, blood, feces) does not constitute an exposure and does not require postexposure prophylaxis. In addition, contact with someone who is receiving rabies vaccination does not constitute rabies exposure and does not require postexposure prophylaxis.

For more information on person-to-person transmission of rabies, see: Fekadu, M., Endeshaw, T., Alemu, W., Bogale, Y., Teshager, T., & Olson, J. G. (1996). Possible human-to-human transmission of rabies in Ethiopia. Ethiopia Medical Journal, 34, 123-127.