Rabies Vaccine: Who Should Get It and How it Works?
Rabies is not present in the United Kingdom in any great degree; there is a small amount of the disease in the wild bat population. However, if you visit other parts of the world then you may be at risk from rabies depending on where you are staying and for how long. Touchwood Pharmacy offers the rabies vaccination in Leighton Buzzard and the rabies vaccination in Bromley at our travel clinics where you can receive all the guidance and information you need to stay safe from rabies when you travel.
How the rabies vaccine works?
The rabies vaccine contains inactivated rabies virus. The vaccine works by provoking the body’s immune response to the rabies virus without actually causing the disease. The immune system produces antibodies against the disease which means if you come into contact with it during a foreign trip, then there should be a sufficient level of protection within your immune system.
The vaccine is given as a course of three injections, the second seven days after the initial shot and the third twenty-eight days from that date. A booster dose is required twelve months later after this initial course followed by further vaccinations every three to five years for people who remain at high or continuous risk.
Where is rabies currently found?
Rabies is quite commonplace in Africa, Asia as well as Central and South America. It remains a fatal illness in those who have not been vaccinated and are exposed to the disease and fail to seek prompt medical treatment.
Rabies treatment has to be administered in hospital and even those people who have been vaccinated should seek urgent medical attention if they have been bitten or scratched by a rabid animal. This is called post-exposure treatment.
Post exposure treatment includes cleaning and disinfecting the area of the bite or scratch and a course of the rabies vaccine which will vary depending upon whether you have already been vaccinated or not. Treatment should be started quickly, ideally within a few hours.
If you are travelling pets abroad then speak to your vet about the rabies vaccine for dogs and for cats. Allow plenty of time as protocols have changed following Brexit and paperwork may take longer than before.
If you are looking for the rabies vaccination in Leighton Buzzard or the rabies vaccination in Bromley then contact Touchwood Pharmacy for the latest guidance and information. Read more on our website https://www.touchwoodpharmacy.com/
