Rabies Vaccine

Getting the pre-exposure vaccine

Contact your healthcare provider to discuss receiving the vaccine.

Your healthcare provider will inform you how many doses you need and if boosters and serology testing are recommended based on your level of risk (moderate, high, or very high).

Who should get the vaccine

The pre-exposure rabies vaccination should be given to people:

Spending 1 month or more in countries where rabies is common
Travelling in rural areas in countries where rabies is common and where a major medical centre is more than 24 hours away
Working in a job that might expose them to rabies.

The following jobs are examples of those that might expose people to rabies:

certain laboratory workers
veterinarians
animal control
wildlife workers
forest rangers
miners

There are some situations where you should not get the vaccine. Tell your healthcare provider about any allergies, medications you are taking (e.g., medications that prevent malaria), illnesses or any previous suspected reactions to a vaccine.

Vaccine safety

The rabies vaccine is extremely safe. While many people don’t notice any side effects, it is not uncommon to have temporary soreness, redness, swelling and itching where the rabies vaccine was given. A few people may have headache, nausea, abdominal pain, muscle aches and dizziness. Serious side effects are very rare.

When to visit a doctor

Call your health care provider or go to the emergency room right away if you develop any of the following symptoms within 3 weeks of getting the rabies vaccine:

high fever (more than 40° C or 104° F)
in young children, crying for more than 3 hours
convulsions or seizures
very pale colour and serious drowsiness
hives
swelling of the face or mouth
trouble breathing
other serious problems

Post-exposure treatment for rabies

In Ontario, post-exposure treatment involves administration of immune globulin and multiple doses of rabies vaccine over a 14-day period (28 days, if immunocompromised). Many people find it feels similar to receiving other vaccines. Immune globulin provides antibodies to fight the rabies virus immediately. The vaccine stimulates your immune system to make its own antibodies against rabies.

Has person received rabies vaccine in the past?	Rabies Immune Globulin	Rabies vaccine
No	Day 0	Days 0,3,7 and 14 (4 -dose series)
No and immunocompromised	Day 0	Days 0,3,7,14 and 28 (5-dose series)
Yes	N/A	Days 0 & 3*

*Person must meet criteria to be considered previously immunized against rabies. If they do not, additional doses and serology testing may be required.

The rabies vaccine must NOT be given in the gluteal muscle and must be administered in a different limb, if given on the same day as rabies immune globulin.

Missed dose

For post & pre-exposure treatment to be effective, the schedule MUST be followed, and all doses must be given. If a dose is missed, contact your health care provider as soon as possible. If a dose is given early, it is not considered valid and will need to be repeated.