A considered approach should be taken by a person who has been bitten by a cat or any other animal when getting a post-bite rabies shot – what the medical profession call: Rabies Post-exposure Prophylaxis (RPEP). Prophylaxis means: treatment! This page concerns the USA. I was prompted to write this because the press quite often report “rabid cat” stories. I hate that terminology. Being bitten by a strange cat does not mean being bitten by a rabid cat although common sense dictates that playing safe is wise considering the severity of the disease.
Obviously, not every cat bite results in the need to rush to a medical centre for rabies shots. And I am referring here to people who have not had a preventative rabies vaccination. The rabies vaccine is typically administered after a bite. Only people who work in high risk environments are advised (or it is obligatory) to have the preventative vaccination.
The vaccine to prevent the progress of the disease is given in four shots in the shoulder (called: pre-exposure prophylaxis). The first is given immediately after the possible exposure to rabies and then 3, 7 and 14 days later3.
Note: If the wound caused by a suspected rabid animal is cleaned and immunisation is carried out within a few hours after contact the onset of rabies and death can be prevented.
In the USA the CDC sets out the protocol (the steps that are taken in the process called RPEP).
There are two types of exposure:
- Bite
- Infectious material entering body via wound
The guidelines for when to be given a post-exposure vaccine (RPEP) is as follows (shortened version):
Exposure by a domestic animal that has no signs of rabies and is healthy etc. do not undertake RPEP until the animal has been observed for 10 days.
If exposed by a dog, cat, ferret that cannot be observed (because they have disappeared, for example) the person is recommended to initiate PREP if animal control has decided that the bite was unprovoked and the animal was behaving strangely. This means taking a clear, objective approach to reporting and consulting with the health district. You might like to read this story.
If exposed by a wild animal such as a fox or coyote the person should go down the PREP route if the animal has not been captured and tested or if brain testing of the animal can’t be completed with 24 hours or the brain specimen shows up rabies. If a test is done and proves negative RPEP should be stopped.
If exposed by a bat the person should initiate RPEP under the same criteria as for wild animals such as foxes etc.. Additional advice for bat exposure is that if a person was in the same room as a bat but unaware of possible exposure to rabies, RPEP should be considered.
Exposure to a small animal (rabbit, rat, mouse, squirrel) RPEP is not recommended because these animals are rarely infected and rodents are not reservoirs for rabies.
- Main source for article
- Picture credit: Rikki’s Refuge
- Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
The pet travel rules have been relaxed too and rabies is endemic in Eastern Europe so you can see the risk. Animal shelters like Battersea Dogs and Cats are considering making it obligatory for workers to get the rabies vaccination. They clearly see the risk as real.
A serious reality here. There was an alert about a week ago for a rabid cat in the downtown area. It can be alarming for people who don’t know what it entails and what precautions to take when approaching any animal they don’t know or is in the wild.
This isn’t a country where a child can see a stray and say, “Let me pet the kitty Mommy.”
It’s terribly sad.
Much, much more education needs to be done so people will be able to identify the signs of rabies and not be afraid to befriend a cat that is no threat.
Most any agency dealing with animals require employees to be vaccinated. It’s, purely, voluntary on my part because I have so much contact with raccoons that are the major rabies risk.
very true 🙁
I was just thinking with the free flow of human immigration into the UK there is probably an increased risk of rabies being imported from Eastern Europe.
Yes, I heard that too. They have modernised the injections so they are less painful. They are normal injections these days.
That is very interesting Michael. I’m glad we don’t have rabies in our country but I was thinking in days gone by didn’t people used to have to have painful injections into their stomach after being bitten by a possibly rabid animal?