This section provides guidelines for both bite-victims and health-care personnel on what they need to do if they/a patient have/has been exposed, including management of animal bite wounds and human rabies prophylaxis. It also provides guidelines on administration of pre-exposure prophylaxis.

Click here for more information on human rabies prophylaxis and an overview of the steps required. Click here for an online training course in Rabies PEP basics.

Health-care personnel (medical and nursing staff) as follows:
• Contacts/exposures to vaccine virus:
All oral rabies vaccines are live, replication-competent viruses, and therefore all direct human contact/exposure to the vaccine virus should be reported.
• Correct assessment of what constitutes an exposure to vaccine virus and when administration of anti-rabies serum/rabies immunoglobulin (RIG) and ARV is appropriate. This is important to ensure that there is no unnecessary use of costly vaccine.

• When human contact with an oral rabies vaccine based on a live, modified rabies virus has occurred:
  Seek appropriate medical advice from responsible authorities.
  For frequently asked questions and further information, click here

• When human contact with an oral rabies vaccine based on a live replicating recombinant virus which expresses the rabies glycoprotein has occurred:
  Seek appropriate medical advice from responsible authorities.
  For frequently asked questions, click here
• CDC has specific guidelines for immunosuppressed people who have been exposed to bait.
• Legislation, including notification. Read also section 3.2 to learn about legislative frameworks.
• The need for exchange of information between the human and animal health sectors (e.g. monitoring biting animals).
• Education: it is very important to inform children about the campaigns, and to assess possible contact with wildlife, vaccine baits and sachets, including the vaccine itself.