Rabies vaccine is indicated for prophylactic immunization against rabies and treatment of patients following suspected rabies contact.Pre-exposure Immunization: Professional groups exposed to frequent contamination Veterinary surgeons (including students at veterinary colleges) Technical personnel working with veterinary surgeons Laboratory personnel handling material contaminated with rabies vims Personnel in abattoirs and knackers yards Taxidermists Gamekeepers, forestry workers and naturalists in enzootic areas Infants particularly exposed to the risk of rabies Post-exposure Immunization: Treatment of subjects bitten by rabid animals or those suspected of being so Treatment of contact subjects.

Vaccines, Anti-sera & Immunoglobulin

Rabies vaccine is an inactivated virus vaccine that is used for active immunisation against rabies. It can be used for pre- and post-exposure immunisation. For post-exposure immunisation, it is often used in conjunction with rabies immunoglobulins as it takes about 7-10 days for the specific antibodies to develop.

Concurrent use with immunosuppressants may reduce the efficacy of vaccines.

Rabies vaccine is contraindicated in the following cases:Pre-exposure- Severe fever, febrile infection, acute disease, progressive chronic diseases Known hypersensitivity reactions to rabies vaccine or any of its components Post-exposure No contraindication to post-exposure treatment, because rabies is lethal disease, any contraindication to exposure, treatment should be considered carefully before disqualifying an individual for anti-rabies treatment.

Minor local reactions like pain, erythema, oedema, pruritus and induration at the injection site and lasting to 24-48 hours. Moderate fever, shivering, fainting, asthenia, dizziness, respiratory manifestations (dyspnoea, wheezing), fever, abdominal pain, vomiting and allergic skin reactions (urticaria, rash, itching).

Pregnancy. The potential risk of administration of rabies vaccine during pregnancy is unknown. Due to the severity of the disease, pregnancy is not considered to be a contraindication to post-exposure prophylaxis.Lactation: It is not known whether the vaccine is excreted in human breast milk. Due to the severity of the disease, breast-feeding is not considered a contraindication.

Precaution: Intravenous injection is prohibited. The vaccine and anti-rabies immunoglobulin must not be administered with same syringe and in the same injection site. Before use, please carefully check package, label, appearance and the validity period. After reconstitution, the freeze-dried rabies vaccine should be administered as soon as possible. Do not shake during and after reconstitution. Special precaution for the intradermal route: It is essential that intradermal administration of vaccine be administered only by medical staff trained in the ID technique in order to ensure that the vaccine is delivered intradermally and not subcutaneously. For the intradermal route a sterile syringe with fixed needle (insulin type) is preferred. A sterile needle and syringe must be used to withdraw and administer each dose of vaccine for each patient to avoid cross infection. Correct intradermal injection should result in a raised papule with a orange peel appearance. If the vaccine has been injected too deeply and a papule is not seen, the needle should be withdrawn and re-inserted nearby. This vaccine does not contain a preservative, therefore, great care must be taken to avoid contamination of reconstituted vaccine. Any reconstituted vaccine should be used as soon as possible. It must be stored in a refrigerator at +2 °C to +8 °C and used within 8 hours after reconstitution or discarded. ID route must not be used in the following conditions : Patient receiving immunosuppressive therapies, including irradiation, anti metabolites, alkylating agents, cytotoxic drugs and corticosteroids. Immunocompromised individuals.

Keep out of the reach and sight of children. Store at +2 °C to +8 °C. Transportation should also be at +2 °C to +8 °C. Protect from light. Do not freeze