Rabies vaccines are safe, effective, and rarely cause serious side effects, with benefits significantly outweighing risks as rabies is fatal. Common downsides include mild, temporary reactions like soreness at the injection site, fever, headache, nausea, and muscle aches. Rare, severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis) can occur, but serious, long-term complications are extremely uncommon.

Is there any harm in getting rabies vaccines?

Serious problems from rabies vaccine are very rare. Other nervous system disorders, such as Guillain Barré syndrome (GBS), have been reported after rabies vaccine, but this happens so rarely that it is not known whether they are related to the vaccine.

Are there any long-term side effects of rabies vaccines?

Most of the side effects of the rabies vaccine are mild and do not last long. They can include: swelling or pain where the injection was given. a headache.

Who shouldn't take the rabies vaccine?

People who are moderately or severely ill should usually wait until they recover before getting a routine (pre-exposure) dose of rabies vaccine. If you have been exposed to rabies virus, you should get vaccinated regardless of concurrent illnesses, pregnancy, breastfeeding, or weakened immune system.

What happens if I don't get a rabies shot?

For individuals who have been exposed to the rabies virus, failing to get post exposure prophylaxis is almost invariably fatal. Rabies has the highest case fatality rate of any infectious disease.

Is rabies vaccination safe for every one? | Fearless Against Rabies

Do I really need rabies vaccines?

About the rabies vaccination

It is also used to prevent the illness from spreading to the nervous system after an animal bite. As medical treatment is not always readily available in countries with a high risk, you may need to protect yourself with a rabies injection before leaving the country.

Why does everyone not get the rabies vaccine?

Once symptoms have begun, rabies is almost uniformly fatal. 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.

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 not to do after rabies vaccine?

Avoid strenuous activities: Avoid heavy physical activities, such as lifting weights or intense exercise, immediately after your vaccination. Resting helps your body focus on processing the vaccine.

What are the neurological complications of the rabies vaccine?

Rabies vaccines containing neural elements of animals are associated with neurological complications like encephalitis, encephalomyelitis, myeloradiculitis and polyradiculitis. Newer generation cell culture rabies vaccines should be preferred over neural tissue rabies vaccines for post-exposure prophylaxis.

What are the long term side effects of the rabies vaccine?

No deaths or permanent lasting effects have been reported. Serious systemic anaphylactic reactions (hives, swelling of the mouth and throat, difficulty breathing, low blood pressure or shock) have been reported with the rabies vaccine. No one has been permanently affected by these reactions.

Should you get a rabies shot just to be safe?

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.

Is 7 days too late for rabies vaccine?

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. If you wait until you get symptoms, it will be too late – there is no treatment for established rabies …

Is rabies still fatal in 2025?

In terms of human cases, CDC data show there were zero reported in 2019 and 2020, five reported in 2021, zero in 2022 and 2023, four in 2024 and two so far in 2025. Rabies in humans is almost always fatal once symptoms appear.

What is the truth about the rabies vaccine?

Scientists don't know exactly why rabies vaccines don't provide long-term protection, but they do know that its shape-shifting proteins are a problem. Like a Swiss Army knife, the rabies glycoprotein has sequences that unfold and flip upward when needed.

What are the odds of getting rabies in the USA?

Yes, but it is very rare for people to get rabies in the United States. Of the 55,000 people who die of rabies every year around the world, only one or two of those deaths occur in the United States.

What states don't require rabies vaccinations?

To date (2023), only 16 states have laws or regulations that allow owners to seek a medical exemption from having their dogs vaccinated for rabies. One state (Hawaii) has no laws or regulations that require vaccination on a statewide basis.

What is the deadliest virus on Earth?

Using the “case fatality rate” metric to determine what virus is the deadliest, rabies would likely come out on top. That's because, if an infection becomes symptomatic, rabies is fatal to humans in more than 99 percent of cases. Globally, approximately 59,000 people die from rabies every year.

Why can't the body fight off rabies?

HOST IMMUNE RESPONSE

Rabies virus does cause immunosuppression of the CMI response through enhancement of suppressor T-cell action. A state of anergy develops in which cytotoxic T-cells fail to act against rabies and other antigens.

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