Should I restart the rabies vaccine after another cat scratch?

Question

Hello doctor,

Three days ago I was bitten by a dog, the same day I took the vaccine. After two days I was scratched by a stray cat and I had little bleeding. Tomorrow do I have to start my whole vaccination for rabies from the beginning or do I just have to take my second dose of vaccine?

Kindly help.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I can understand your concern. No need to restart the schedule. Take your second dose as per the schedule.

Since you already got your first dose on the same day as the dog bite, that counts and is still valid. The cat scratch you got two days later, even though it caused a little bleeding, does not reset everything. Your body has already begun responding to the vaccine you received, so the process is already underway.

All you need to do tomorrow is simply go ahead and take your second dose as planned and continue the rest of the schedule normally from there. Just make sure you clean the cat scratch area well with soap and water if you haven't already, as that is always a good first step with any animal scratch or bite.

I hope this helps.

Thank you.