Dog bite

I had dog bite in leg on feb of 2010 little blood had come, i consulted doctor and took 5 dose injection...
nw again in the month of nov 2010 same dog bite me again. do i need to take 5 dose nw also??
please suggest me with an answer.
dog is one year old. all vaccination injection has been given for tht dog.

[Philip D Parks, MD, MPH, MOccH, FACOEM]

Hello,

The decision to vaccinate after an animal bite is a case by case decision and depends on an estimation of risk that the animal in question has or is likely to have rabies.

From the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US): "A person who has been previously vaccinated should get 2 doses of rabies vaccine - one right away and another on the 3rd day. Rabies Immune Globulin is not needed."

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/VIS/downloads/vis-rabies.pdf

Booster doses of vaccine are recommended every two years for those individuals who continue to be at increased risk of contracting rabies to maintain protective antibody levels.

You can have blood test to determine if you have immunity to the rabies virus. Animals can also be tested to determine if they are immune to the rabies virus.

~•~ Dr. Parks

This answer is not intended as and does not substitute for medical or legal advice. The information presented in this posting is for patients’ education only. As always, I encourage you to see your personal physician for further evaluation of your individual case.