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Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices: just 4 rabies shots needed post-exposure
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The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted unanimously that 4 shots, not the 5 currently recommended, are necessary for post-exposure prophylaxis to rabies.
Committee members made the decision after hearing that out of 20,000 to 40,000 Americans exposed to rabies each year, an estimated 1000 get only 3 or 4 shots and none of them have developed rabies. The shots cost between $100 -$200 apiece.
Novartis and Sanofi Pasteur are the two companies who make rabies vaccine for the US market.
An official from Novartis said he disagreed with the panel setting a precedent by making an off-label recommendation. He said it might confuse doctors who read company information about the vaccine that calls for 5 doses over 28 days, but see government guidance that says 4 shots are enough.
This is unusual because the committee's recommendations are usually on the same page with drug companies' package insert information about how their product should be use.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices advises the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which issues official guidance to doctors.
Rabies is an acute viral infection that is transmitted to humans or other mammals usually through the saliva from a bite of an infected animal. Raccoons, skunks, foxes, bats, dogs, coyotes and cats are the likely suspects.
The virus can infect the nervous system and can cause symptoms like insomnia, anxiety, confusion, paralysis, salivating, hallucinations, difficulty swallowing, and fear of water. Death usually occurs within days of the onset of symptoms.
See more on rabies here:
What you need to know about rabies part 1
What you need to know about rabies part 2
What you need to know about rabies part 3
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