Patient's Query
Hello doctor,
I went to eat at a restaurant a few weeks ago, and a feral kitten was roaming near my leg. I got anxious that it might have scratched my leg, so I took the TT injection straightaway and then went to take ARV doses the next day and completed four ARV doses.
Actually, the kitten did nothing, but I felt frightened and so took precaution. Now, what happened last week is that I went to one cowshed, where I also saw a feral kitten. Again, I got frightened that it might have scratched my leg. So I again took one dose of ARV.
Do I need to take any further doses? I know I am sounding crazy, but as far as rabies is concerned, it is better to be safe than sorry.
Please help.
Hello,
Welcome to icliniq.com.
I understand your concern.
I understand your anxiety about rabies, and you did the right thing by completing a full course of anti-rabies vaccine (ARV) last month after your initial concern.
Once a person has completed a proper post-exposure vaccination schedule, they develop protective immunity that lasts for months to years. In case of another potential exposure within this period, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends only two booster doses on days 0 and 3 rather than restarting the full series.
Since you had already finished four doses recently, taking an extra ARV dose last week was not harmful, but it was not medically necessary.
Importantly, in both situations you describe, you did not have an actual bite, scratch, or lick on broken skin, which means technically there was no rabies exposure at all, and no vaccine was needed.
Going forward, you do not need any more doses unless you truly have a category II or III exposure, such as a visible scratch, bite, or saliva contact with open skin or mucous membranes. Your fear is understandable, but repeated unnecessary rabies vaccinations are not required and can increase anxiety.
I hope this helps. Always feel free to reach out at any time. I am always here to help.
Thank you.
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