If you are currently anxious and searching “do I have rabies,” the good news is no, you do not. People with rabies don’t have the ability to google whether or not they have rabies. However, you still might need a rabies post-exposure shot. Let’s talk about what that entails.
What is rabies post-exposure treatment?
Rabies post-exposure prophylactics, also known as rabies PEP, is not the actual rabies vaccine like dogs get, but a whole treatment plan designed to keep rabies from ever developing.
Are rabies shots scary?
There is a common myth that the rabies shots you get after an animal bite are super scary. If you are anything like me, you probably grew up hearing that if you needed rabies shots, you would have to go and get 20+ super painful shots in your stomach. Thankfully, that is no longer true! It is 2024 and rabies shots are no longer scary (and I am saying this as someone with a severe needle phobia.
What happens if you get bit by a potentially rabid animal?
Step 1: Clean your wound
The first step of rabies PEP is something you do yourself, and that is cleaning your wound with antibacterial soap and water. This should be done as soon as you can after you get bit, please do not wait until you get to a doctor.
Step 2: Receive human rabies immunoglobulin (HRIG) at the emergency room or health department
Because the actual rabies vaccine needs rabies antibodies in order to work, the HRIG gives you these antibodies so that the vaccine can start working before your body starts producing its own. To give you the HRIG, the doctors are going to put it into a syringe with a teeny, tiny little needle and give you shots all around the wound. It is only one dose, but the number of little HRIG shots you get depends on the size of the wound.
Step 3: Receive your actual rabies post-exposure vaccine
Once you get your HRIG shots, you are going to get your actual rabies post-exposure shot. It is going to go right into your upper arm just like a flu shot would. The day you get bit, you are only going to need one singular rabies post-exposure shot.
Step 4: Go back to the doctor on days 3, 7, and 14 since your initial treatment
You will receive another rabies post-exposure shot on days 3, 7, and 14 after your initial treatment. You will only get one shot on each of these days. If you are immunocompromised, you may have to get a shot on day 21 as well.
How effective is rabies post-exposure treatment?
Rabies PEP is 100% effective. If you get bit or scratched by a wild animal, please go get a rabies vaccine!
