No, you cannot vaccinate yourself against rabies. The rabies vaccine and associated treatment must be administered by a healthcare professional in a medical facility.

Can you vaccinate yourself against rabies?

Yes. Pre-exposure prophylaxis vaccination is recommended for people who work directly with animals that could have rabies—such as veterinarians or wildlife workers—or for travelers visiting parts of the world where the disease is common and access to emergency medical care is limited.

Can I take the rabies vaccine at home?

Yes, with trained nurses and proper storage, rabies vaccination at home is safe, effective, and as reliable as in-clinic administration.

Can you vaccinate a human against rabies?

Around 95% of people who have 3 doses of the rabies vaccine will have some protection from rabies. How long the protection lasts can vary, but it usually lasts at least 1 or 2 years. People at continued risk of rabies may need 1 or more booster doses of the rabies vaccine to make sure they stay protected.

Can I administer the rabies vaccine myself?

Animal vaccines

Animal rabies vaccines should only be administered by a veterinarian or under veterinary supervision, in compliance with local laws. A list of licensed and marketed animal vaccines in the United States is available in the Animal Rabies Compendium.

Can I Vaccinate My Cat Against Rabies Myself At Home? - Ask A Pet Vet

Can I inject anti-rabies without a bite?

Rabies vaccine is given to persons who have been exposed (eg, by a bite, scratch, or lick) to an animal that is known, or thought, to have rabies. This is called post-exposure prophylaxis. Rabies vaccine may also be given ahead of time to persons who have a high risk of getting infected with rabies virus.

Can rabies shot be bought over the counter?

If you purchase a rabies vaccine over the counter, there are risks involved if you do not adhere to the recommended temperature — between 35.6°F and 44.6°F. Improper storage can lead to less protection for your dog because the vaccine will stop working.

Is 7 days too late for rabies vaccine after a bite?

Even if you have been bitten a few days, weeks or months ago, it is never too late to start. The rabies virus can incubate for several years before it causes symptoms.

Has anybody survived rabies without the vaccine?

Editor's Note (3/31/25): This article from October 2008 describes how Jeanna Giese became the first known person to recover from rabies without vaccination after she received a treatment that came to be called the Milwaukee protocol. Afterward doctors continued to experiment with this approach.

When was the last human rabies case in the US?

In November 2024, a California art teacher died from rabies, about a month after being bitten by a bat she found in her classroom. In 2024, there was also a rabies human death in Minnesota (contracted from a bat), and a rabies human death in Kentucky (believed to have been acquired abroad).

What is the 10 day quarantine for rabies?

The 10-day confinement and observation period for dogs and cats has withstood the test of time as a way to prevent human rabies. The quarantine period eliminates the need to destroy healthy pets to test their brains for the rabies virus.

What are the first signs of rabies?

At first, there's a tingling, prickling, or itching feeling around the bite area. A person also might have flu-like symptoms such as a fever, headache, muscle aches, loss of appetite, nausea, and tiredness. After a few days, neurological symptoms develop, including: irritability or aggressiveness.

Can I take the rabies vaccine just for safety?

A rabies vaccine aims to prevent the spread of rabies from an infected animal to humans. The rabies vaccine can be taken as a precautionary vaccine before or soon after exposure. In the case of a precautionary vaccine, a periodic booster dose is necessary. The rabies vaccine is the same for both adults and children.

When is it too late to treat rabies in humans?

Usually you can wait for test results from a healthy domestic animal to see if rabies shots are needed. Bites and verified exposures from wild animals should be treated as if the animal were rabid until rabies has been ruled out. Once a person develops rabies symptoms it is too late for treatment!

Why don't we vaccinate humans for rabies?

So, anyone who may have been exposed to the virus should seek treatment promptly. Most people do not get the rabies vaccine prior to exposure because the vaccine can work after exposure due to the long incubation period.

Is rabies 100% curable?

Once the virus infects the central nervous system and clinical symptoms appear, rabies is fatal in 100% of cases. However, rabies deaths are preventable with prompt post exposure prophylaxis (PEP) by stopping the virus from reaching the central nervous system.

Can the body fight off rabies?

Although survival following clinical infection in humans has only been recorded on a handful of occasions, a number of studies have reported detection of rabies-specific antibodies in the sera of humans, domestic animals, and wildlife that are apparently healthy and unvaccinated.

How many cases of rabies are there in the US in 2025?

CDC data from recent years show there were 3,760 animal cases and four outbreaks reported in 2023, 3,834 cases and 13 outbreaks in 2024, and there have so far been 2,081 animal cases and 13 outbreaks in 2025, which Boutelle said is consistent with the country's 5-year average.

Why haven't we cured rabies yet?

Once rabies reaches the brain, it is impossible to treat. But there are some medications that have already shown hope in animal studies. Both favipiravir and bufotenine have been effective in animals. But, this doesn't mean they will be effective in treating humans, but it does show promise.

Why wait 10 days after a dog bite?

The dog should not encounter other animals or people other than the owner or caretaker for 10-days. What is this all about? Simply put it is the State rabies law and as long as the local Animal Inspector can confirm the biting dog is healthy after 10-days, the person or other animal bit has no risk of rabies.

How common is rabies in the US?

In the U.S., around 4,000 animal rabies cases are reported each year, with more than 90% occurring in wildlife like bats, raccoons, skunks, and foxes. This is a big change from the 1960s, when domestic animals, mainly dogs, represented most of the rabies cases.

Does Walmart do rabies shots for humans?

Vaccines for international travel

Call the pharmacy for more information about travel vaccines availability & scheduling. Access a variety of immunizations, from rabies to cholera.

Can I give a rabies shot at home?

In fact, states that have legislation requiring rabies vaccinations stipulate that these vaccinations must be performed or supervised by a licensed veterinarian in order to be legally recognized. This means that at-home vaccinations, in this case of Rabies, are neither recognized nor recommended.

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