Rabies Vaccine: What You Need To Know
Rabies Vaccine: What You Need To Know
Rabies Vaccine: What You Need To Know
What is rabies?
Rabies is a serious disease. It is caused by a virus. Rabies is mainly a disease of animals. Humans get rabies when they are bitten by infected animals. At first there might not be any symptoms. But weeks, or even months after a bite, rabies can cause pain, fatigue, headaches, fever, and irritability. These are followed by seizures, hallucinations, and paralysis. Human rabies is almost always fatal. Wild animalsespecially batsare the most common source of human rabies infection in the United States. Skunks, raccoons, dogs, cats, coyotes, foxes and other mammals can also transmit the disease. Human rabies is rare in the United States. There have been only 55 cases diagnosed since 1990. However, between 16,000 and 39,000 people are vaccinated each year as a precaution after animal bites. Also, rabies is far more common in other parts of the world, with about 40,00070,000 rabies-related deaths worldwide each year. Bites from unvaccinated dogs cause most of these cases. Rabies vaccine can prevent rabies.
Rabies vaccine
Rabies vaccine is given to people at high risk of rabies to protect them if they are exposed. It can also prevent the disease if it is given to a person after they have been exposed. Rabies vaccine is made from killed rabies virus. It cannot cause rabies.
Talk with a doctor before getting rabies vaccine if you: 1. ever had a serious (life-threatening) allergic reaction to a previous dose of rabies vaccine, or to any component of the vaccine; tell your doctor if you have any severe allergies, 2. have a weakened immune system because of: - HIV/AIDS or another disease that affects the immune system, - treatment with drugs that affect the immune system, such as steroids, - cancer, or cancer treatment with radiation or drugs. If you have a minor illnesses, such as a cold, you can be vaccinated. If you are moderately or severely ill, you should probably wait until you recover before getting a routine (non-exposure) dose of rabies vaccine. If you have been exposed to rabies virus, you should get the vaccine regardless of any other illnesses you may have.
Ask your doctor. Call your local or state health department. Contact the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): - Visit CDCs rabies website at www.cdc.gov/rabies/
Rabies Vaccine
10/6/2009