From animals a person receives not only joy and other positive emotions. Dangerous parasites and viruses can be transmitted to people by pets and their wild relatives. Rabies is considered a particularly terrible disease; it is transmitted through contact with an infected animal. A timely rabies vaccine helps to get rid of a fatal disease.
Composition and manufacturer
The rabies vaccine builds immunity against rabies and is used as treatment and prevention. This unique drug is produced in Russia. It is produced in the form of a special dry powder - lyophilisate. This is a high-tech product in pharmacology, which allows you to preserve the beneficial qualities of the starting material, increase shelf life, and increase the effectiveness of the product.
The active substance is the Rabies virus antigen, specific strain “Vnukovo-32”. Additional components are designed to improve the action of the main component.
Indications for vaccination of children and adults
The rabies vaccine is over a hundred years old. But to this day it is the only effective way to protect against a fatal pathology.
Doctors strongly recommend mandatory therapeutic and preventive vaccination for:
- people who, due to their profession, are constantly in nature. These are rangers and hunters, fishermen and foresters;
- slaughterhouse workers;
- veterinarians and laboratory diagnosticians examining the brain of an infected animal;
- workers for catching stray animals;
- owners of zoo shelters;
- travelers going to high-risk countries.
For these individuals, routine vaccination is recommended - once every 2-3 years.
Indications for preventive immunization depend on the type of contact with a possibly infected animal:
- Category 1 – touching animals or their salivation on intact skin. Prevention is not provided here;
- Category 2 – there are minor scratches or bites without bleeding. In this case, you should immediately and thoroughly (10-15 minutes) wash the damage, thoroughly moistening the skin with water and detergents. Urgent vaccination required;
- Category 3 – multiple and significant bites and scratches. This also requires thorough wound treatment (preferably with iodine) and immediate vaccination.
Children are subject to primary preventive immunization:
- living in areas where the risk of rabies is high;
- campers;
- located in areas where rabies drugs are difficult to find or unavailable.
Vaccination is mandatory if:
- the condition of the animal cannot be tracked;
- the bite or scratch was caused by a pet (unvaccinated) or a wild animal. In this case, it is isolated for 10 days in order to determine the presence of infection (blood sampling for antibody levels), and the patient during this time receives a course of 3 vaccines. Preventive immunization is stopped when it is determined that the animal is not infected. If not, conduct a full course;
- a bite from a bat, fox or wolf is a condition for mandatory vaccination;
- patient age – less than 10 years;
- bites on the neck or head.
The rabies vaccine should be administered as quickly as possible - preferably within 1-3 days from the moment of contact with an infected animal. The incubation period for rabies is 10-90 days. It is vitally important to get vaccinated during this period. Once the disease has developed, immunization is of no use.
After rabies vaccination, alcohol should be avoided for six months, since ethanol weakens the effect of the vaccine.
Side effects
The administration of the Rabies vaccine may be accompanied by local or general reactions.
Local reactions are characterized by:
- Redness;
- Minor swelling;
- Itching;
- Enlargement of regional lymph nodes;
- Soreness at the site of vaccine administration.
General reactions may appear as:
- Headache;
- ailments;
- Weaknesses;
- Increased body temperature.
If the above-described side effects occur, it is recommended to carry out symptomatic treatment using antihistamines and hyposensitizing drugs.
In rare cases, as a result of the use of the Rabies vaccine, neurological symptoms may develop that require immediate hospitalization of the patient.
Instructions for use of rabies vaccine for humans
Immediately before the injection, the medical staff prepares the vaccine.
To do this, a solvent (1.1 ml) is introduced into the ampoule with lyophilisate (1.0 ml). The finished injection should be homogeneous (without foreign inclusions), transparent or slightly yellowish. The vaccine is administered intramuscularly (1 dose - 1 ml) to adults and children over 2 years of age in the deltoid muscle, and for children under 2 years of age - in the upper thigh. Intradermal administration is also acceptable (1.0 ml/dose). Injections into the gluteal region are prohibited.
The vaccine is considered unsuitable for use if:
- there is damage on the ampoule (its integrity is compromised);
- markings are not visible;
- color and transparency changed;
- expiration date has expired.
Vaccination is carried out in compliance with the rules of asepsis. The finished vaccine “lives” for 5 minutes. Its storage beyond this time is not permitted.
Before the procedure, the victim is provided with mandatory anti-rabies care. Wounds, scratches and other damage are treated: washed abundantly with water . The edges of the wound are wiped with alcohol (70%) or iodine.
Then the vaccine itself and (if indicated) rabies immunoglobulin are administered. An interval of 15-29 minutes is maintained between injections. They try not to put sutures on wounds.
After the procedure, it is recommended to remain under medical supervision for about 30 minutes. The effect of rabies serum for humans is not too long and usually lasts 1-3 years. Next is revaccination.
Release form
The package includes:
- Lyophilisate;
- Solution for injection preparation.
You will have to prepare the injection solution yourself. An approximate injection dose contains up to 0.4 ml of the drug. The composition of the serum involves the use of viral antigens, the main thing is that it is inactivated and purified.
In addition to the bacterial antigen, the drug contains human albumin and thiomersal maltose.
The dry powder is diluted with the solvent available in the package. The solvent base is 0.3% sodium chloride.
Duration of vaccination course
The vaccination schedule differs in the case of a regular (planned) course and in case of emergency (unconditional) vaccination.
Timing of 3-stage routine immunization (1.0 ml each):
- first injection. The day is determined according to the situation;
- Day 7 – second vaccination;
- after 30 days - the third injection.
Revaccination is indicated after 3 years in a single dose of 1.0 ml.
Unconditional vaccination involves 5-fold vaccination (1.0 ml/dose):
- 1 – on the day of the bite (as early as possible);
- 2 – on the 3rd day;
- 3 – 7th day;
- 4 – after 14 days;
- 5 – on the 30th day.
This is the standard emergency immunization schedule. In some cases (to consolidate the effect), a 6th injection is performed: at the end of the 3rd month (relative to the 1st vaccination).
It should be remembered that the immunization schedule cannot be violated, otherwise the vaccination course will become ineffective.
Remember that modern rabies vaccination is no longer 40 injections in the stomach, as it used to be (and so many people think now), but only 5-6 painless vaccinations in the shoulder. All rabies vaccinations in our country are free, even in the absence of a compulsory medical insurance policy.
Contraindications
Rabies is a disease that leads to death. Therefore, in cases of emergency prophylaxis, there are virtually no contraindications. For post-exposure rabies vaccination, even pregnancy or exacerbation of any disease are not contraindications.
If a person is allergic, he is first given antiallergic drugs, and then rabies vaccination is carried out.
Did you know? Doctors say that to the question: is it possible to become infected with rabies through vaccination, there is only one answer: it is impossible to become infected with rabies through the introduction of killed viruses.
Who should not get the rabies vaccine?
Any vaccine (live or dead) has undesirable consequences. Anti-rabies drug is no exception.
According to the instructions, you should not get vaccinated for preventive purposes:
- pregnant women;
- persons with exacerbation of chronic pathologies. Immunization here is carried out a month after remission;
- in case of systemic allergic manifestations to the previous administration of rabies immunoglobulin: Quincke's edema, erythroderma, etc.;
- for ARVI and non-infectious pathologies.
You should be aware that these contraindications apply only to routine immunization (before contact with an infected animal). Rabies vaccination is the only procedure in the whole world that is carried out regardless of contraindications, because human life is at stake. And this despite the fact that the drug has side effects.
Even expectant mothers are vaccinated. This will save both the woman and the baby. A contraindication to routine immunoprophylaxis is also the patient’s age – up to 16 years. However, even here, in the event of a threat of infection, vaccination is mandatory.
Reviews
- Lydia, Krasnodar region. My granddaughter (8 years old) brought a cat from a walk. We took her to the veterinary clinic for an examination. She had to be euthanized; she turned out to have rabies. And my granddaughter had to get vaccinated because all her hands were scratched. At the children's clinic they gave me free of charge, several injections every few days. She tolerated everything well, there were no complications, the injection site itched a little.
- Arseny, Izhevsk. Relaxed with friends in nature. I was bitten by a stray dog from a nearby village. When we returned to the city, a doctor friend advised us to get vaccinated against rabies. An infection could get into the blood along with saliva, although I washed and disinfected the wound. I had to undergo a course of treatment for preventive purposes. Rabies is a deadly disease, I feared for my life.
- Margarita, Nakhodka. My husband was bitten by a rabid fox. There were a lot of them because the winter turned out to be warm, as the forestry department explained. The vaccine is given at the clinic. The first two days the temperature rose, but without pills everything went away. He cannot infect a family; rabies is not transmitted from person to person. But it’s an unpleasant disease, now I need to get injections and see a doctor.
- Boris and Anna, Chelyabinsk region. We are the owners of an animal shelter, we constantly vaccinate all our pets. We ourselves, of course, also take a course of vaccines for preventive purposes. Rabies has not been defeated for many thousands of years; it can only be fought with vaccinations. We recommend adopting only animals from shelters, because they have all vaccinations and are safe for people. And if you see a stray cat or dog, take it to the shelter too. Or let them take a look at the veterinary clinic first. If there is rabies, then such an animal is dangerous. It's difficult to determine for yourself.
How is immunization tolerated: normal reaction and complications
Since the rabies vaccine is a highly purified drug, it has virtually no complications. Undesirable manifestations are usually local in nature.
The injection site may:
- slightly swollen and itchy;
- be painful (30% of cases);
- blush.
Inflammation of regional lymph nodes is a rare case.
The general reaction appears as:
- nausea and vomiting;
- muscle pain;
- temperature changes and weakness;
- hives and dizziness.
Such symptoms should not cause panic. As a rule, these unpleasant manifestations do not require treatment and disappear on their own after a few days.
Side effects of the drug increase with combined vaccination, when rabies immunoglobulin is added to the main vaccination.
More severe symptoms manifest as:
- fever;
- anaphylactic shock;
- joint pain.
If such negative manifestations do occur, you should immediately consult a doctor. Tell him about your condition, specify when the complication began.
Severe patients are urgently hospitalized.
Drug interactions
The introduction of a concentrated purified anti-rabies vaccine is a priority; therefore, during the immunization period, other vaccinations are completely excluded.
Anti-rabies vaccines should not be combined with antihistamines, cytostatics and glucocorticoid hormones, since all of these drugs can slow down the production of one's own antibodies. Therefore, if it is impossible to discontinue these drugs for health reasons, it is advisable to combine the vaccine with liquid rabies immunoglobulin from horse blood serum.
Although administration of the latter to humans may be accompanied by immunological reactions to a heterogeneous protein, equine immunoglobulin has become more widely used for immunization than human immunoglobulin (extracted from human blood serum). This is due to both the complexity of production and the cost of the drug. To prevent side effects from the administration of immunoglobulin, the entire procedure is carried out using a special Bezredka technique.
List of prophylactic drug analogues and their cost
There are drugs with similar composition among both domestic and imported vaccines.
Vaccine Kokav
The most popular are recognized (calculation per dose):
- Kokav (Russia). Price: 1720-2300 rub.;
- Rabipur . German drug. Price: 2700-3400 rub.;
- Indirab (India). Price: 7000-8000 rub.;
- Verorab (France). Price: 1100 rub.;
- Speeda (China) is not registered in Russia.
Anti-rabies assistance in our country is a free procedure.
special instructions
After vaccination, a person must remain under medical supervision for at least half an hour. If any neurological symptoms occur, hospitalization in a hospital is indicated with the prescription of symptomatic treatment, as well as hyposensitizing and antihistamine drugs.
The rooms in which vaccinations are carried out must be equipped with anti-shock therapy drugs. And a person who has been vaccinated must be given a certificate form indicating the type and series of the vaccine, the course of vaccination and its consequences.
For the entire period of treatment with the Anti-rabies vaccine, as well as in the next 6 months, it is necessary to avoid the consumption of any alcohol-containing drinks. In addition, overwork, hypothermia or overheating of the body are extremely undesirable.
If there are scratches
If, after contact with a suspicious animal, scratches or minor bites remain on the body, then the scheme is assumed to be similar to the previous one. It is advisable to seek medical help on the first day of the incident, then repeat injections are given on days 3, 7, 14, 30 and 90. They also carefully monitor the animal’s condition and stop therapy if, after 10 days, the animal does not show signs of rabies. However, if the scratches occurred in the area of the head, neck, genitals and hands, then the scheme discussed below is used.
Therapy for deep bites
If a person has been severely bitten, or has scratches and drooling in potentially dangerous areas (genitals, neck, head, fingers and toes), then a rabies vaccine should be administered immediately. The instructions also prescribe additional complex therapy with immunoglobulin. The scheme remains the same and repeated injections are required after the period of time described above. Heterologous rabies immunoglobulin will be needed if:
- isolated deep bites are observed;
- there are scratches and salivation of the mucous membranes, neck and head;
- it is impossible to track the further health of the animal;
- bitten by bats or rodents.
In these cases, only after the administration of immunoglobulin is the rabies vaccine used. The instructions indicate that the injections are placed in different places. Typically, the entire dose of immunoglobulin is distributed around the bite. If this is not possible, due to the specific location of the wound, then the remainder is injected into the upper part of the shoulder, gluteal muscle or thigh. However, the locations should not coincide with the area where the vaccine itself was administered.
The rabies vaccine is used equally for adult patients and children. The instructions for use indicate that the dosage in both cases is the same and does not depend on age.
Therapy before and after
Before the invention of the vaccine, a person who had been bitten by a wild animal was given 20-30 injections under the skin in the abdominal area. However, now this technique is no longer used or is used extremely rarely, as it is considered obsolete.
At the moment, doctors have in their arsenal a concentrated rabies vaccine, which must be used after contact with an infected animal or an animal that is suspicious. It is important to give the injection on the first day after the bite. It should be noted that after vaccination, standard therapy is not canceled, but the injection will reduce the number of other injections and significantly reduce their dosage. It is noted that the vaccine is well tolerated by all patients, including young children. But sometimes slight itching, redness and rashes at the injection site may bother you.
