My sister had a dog bite on 5th feb 2011, she took Rabipur injection on 6th feb

Hi,
My sister (Age 34, married) had a dog bite on 5th feb 2011, she took Rabipur injection on 6th feb.And  the dog expired on 8th feb, most probably  the dog had rabis. The doctor told her to take the injections on time and observe yourself. I was scared and consulted with another doctor, he said nothing can be done now, tell her to take the Rabipur injections on time and keep her in observation, and also said that Rabipur injections can not fully Guarantee that the victim is totally out of danger or safe.she is doing good no health issue till now. Could you please elaborate the risk factor here. Is there anyway eg, blood test or anything to find out if she has the rabis virus. I want to make sure she is safe if she takes the injections on time. Any suggestion?

Regards,
Jolly

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

Hello,

RABIPUR works by causing the body to protect itself against rabies. The body makes substances called antibodies that fight the rabies virus.  The idea is that if the rabies virus infects someone who has been vaccinated against rabies, the antibodies neutralize the virus before it can cause damage. After vaccination the body takes several weeks to develop enough antibodies to successfully fight rabies. For vaccination against rabies, individuals need a course of 3 to 5 injections (the CDC in the US recommends 4 injections, day 1, 3, 7, 14). After this course, most people produce enough antibodies to prevent the rabies infection. However, as with all vaccines, 100% protection cannot be guaranteed. Additional booster injections of rabies vaccine may be needed every few years to ensure enough antibodies are present (see below regarding testing for antibodies). The vaccine will not and cannot cause rabies. The chance of a severe reaction from RABIPUR is very small, but the risks from not being vaccinated against rabies may be very serious.

From a recent article, “Knowing whether a person who received a rabies vaccine will be protected
from a potentially lethal rabies virus challenge is sometimes dependent solely on the laboratory assessment of circulating antibodies that the person developed following immunization. The selection of
the appropriate assay(s) to assess an individual’s antibody titer and the validation of the assay method used therefore become extremely critical. For a fatal disease like rabies, these considerations, though often complex, are of paramount importance. To adhere to the principle that the appropriate assay will be used is especially significant when the results from such assays serve as a surrogate marker for the expected level of disease prevention. Laboratories that provide these important diagnostic services throughout the world need to pay special attention to the standardization and validation of the
methods they use and should require proficiency testing, training, and certification of staff involved in performing such tests.” - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20361028

I hope that this response is helpful to you and your sister.

~ 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.