Pre-exposure prophylaxis for rabies is worth a shot

July 02, 2022 05:50 pm | Updated 05:50 pm IST Thiruvananthapuram The death of a 19-year-old college student at Palakkad due to rabies, even after she had been administered the immunoglobulin serum and full vaccination as per schedule, has created much anxiety among the public. But focusing only on the treatment of people after the bite is not enough, because delays in vaccination or partial vaccination can be dangerous in a disease which is almost 100% fatal PrEP recommended Pre-exposure prophylaxis or rabies vaccination administered ahead, to protect a person from getting rabies from possible animal bites, is a strategy normally recommended for those whose occupation frequently puts them at risk of animal bites, like veterinarians or animal handlers. However, in a rabies-endemic State, where a practical solution seems to evade the control of stray dog population and people are quite lax about the annual rabies vaccination for pets, the background risk of a random canine bite turning out to be fatal can be reduced if some attention is paid to pre-exposure prophylaxis, says Dr. Anish. PrEP simplifies the rabies post-exposure treatment and it may protect in cases of unrecognised rabies exposure or if treatment after the animal bite is delayed. When a person sustains an animal bite, the virus in the wound site attaches itself to the exposed peripheral neurons or nerve fibres at the wound site and thus enters the nervous system.