Advice for health professionals amid rabies vaccine shortage
In humans, rabies is almost always fatal, once symptoms develop
Rabies – a vaccine-preventable viral disease spread mostly by contact with saliva from any rabies-infected wild or domestic animal via a bite, scratch or lick to an open-wound – is found in more than 150 countries and territories on all continents, except Antarctica.
However, there is a shortage of these vaccines, posing a threat to human life. Rabies is almost always fatal to humans once symptoms develop.
The UK’s National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC) is therefore advising where pre-exposure rabies vaccine products are in short supply, health professionals may need to:
- Prioritise vaccine doses and schedules for those at highest risk, such as travellers to endemic areas for extended periods, young children and those who intend to have animal contact such as vets or animal handlers
- Delay vaccination for a few days until vaccine is back in stock (there is no need to restart the course). Information on interrupted vaccination schedules is available
- Consider if the traveller can complete their course when abroad
- The ISTM Global Travel Clinic Directory provides details of clinics at travel destinations, if courses need to be completed abroad.
NaTHNaC also recommends that all at-risk travellers should be counselled about animal bite avoidance measures, as well as what to do if they are bitten, scratched or licked, whether they have received the pre-exposure vaccine or not.