The last shot of rabies vaccine was not given

If you are bitten by a dog in daily life, you must get the rabies vaccine in time. The rabies vaccine requires a combination of vaccines and must be given according to the doctor's instructions and procedures. If the last shot of the rabies vaccine is not given, this may affect the therapeutic effect of the rabies vaccine. Therefore, you must avoid this situation and be sure to get the vaccine injected according to the doctor's instructions. Let us learn about this aspect.

How to get rabies vaccine

I believe many people don’t know how to get the rabies vaccine. Don’t be lucky enough to think that you can just wash and disinfect after being bitten by an animal and you’ll be fine. Don’t think that one shot of the rabies vaccine will be OK. We still have to strictly follow the requirements on how to administer the rabies vaccine.

Generally speaking, a course of rabies vaccine consists of 5 injections, and the specific schedule is one injection each on the 0th, 3rd, 7th, 14th, and 30th days. Day 0 refers to the day of the first vaccination, and so on for the rest. Of course, this situation applies to general animal bites, such as when the skin is not broken or bleeding.

If the animal bite wound is deep and the flesh is visible, the vaccine should be doubled on the 0th and 3rd days, and anti-rabies serum or rabies immunoglobulin should be injected on the 0th day.

If the rabies vaccine is not administered within 48 hours after being bitten, the dose of the vaccine should be increased by 2-3 times in the first injection to achieve better preventive effect.

If you are only lightly scratched by an animal's claws or teeth and are worried about being infected with the rabies virus, you can prevent rabies by getting three injections on 0, 7, and 21 days, a booster shot one year later, and then another booster shot every 1-3 years.

If you have been vaccinated against rabies and are bitten again by a carnivorous animal such as a cat, dog, or wolf within 3-5 months of the previous vaccination, you only need to get two booster shots. However, if the interval is more than 6 months, you need to get the vaccine again according to the entire course of treatment.

The sooner the rabies vaccine is administered, the better:

The sooner you get the rabies vaccine, the better. The best time for the first injection is within 48 hours after being bitten. Generally speaking, a course of rabies vaccine requires 5 injections, and the specific schedule is one injection each on the 0th, 3rd, 7th, 14th, and 30th days. Day 0 refers to the day of the first vaccination, and so on for the rest.