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Fear of rabbies transmission
Please help me Doctor. On april 10 i visited my aunt house,they had a German shepherd breed dog. The dog just jump towards my hands and his tooth touched my hands and i got little bit hurt.There was no sign of wounds or cuts in my hands but still I was getting continuous fear of rabbies and my mind keeps on telling me to take vaccine so on may 9 i started my rabbies vaccine doses. Since it was 5 doses so it ended on 9 june( not sure exactly). During the vaccination course, the first 3 doses and the last dose was given by the same nurse in the dispensary,but the 4 th dose was given by another nurse. So,my mind keeps on telling me that the 4th dose which the other nurse gave me was not rabbies vaccine or the dose was given wrong. And therefore I again got fear of rabbies transmission. What to do? Should I again start a new rabbies vaccine course?
Answers (16)
Straight answer to your question,"No" need to repeat rabies vaccine again..
1. On first place,You never got a wound / bite/ scratch from dog bite.
2. I'm sure you have followed dog and noticed that it doesn't have any abnormal signs of rabies. (As it will be still residing healthy at your aunts place).
3. It must be a vaccinated dog itself.
4. You must have washed the wound with soap immediately
5. All the nurses are trained well to give Intramuscular injections. It's a very easy process.
6. If all of the above are missed or went wrong, even then you have acquired 4 shots of ARV properly which is enough to build immunity against rabies.....
The incubation period for rabies typically ranges from 1 to 3 months, from April 9th it's almost been 3months, as you don't have any symptoms, you need not have to worry at all. Take care
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feel free to consult me on practo for further queries
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Please be fully reassured on two counts. First, the original exposure â a dog jumping and its tooth briefly touching intact skin with no wound or cut â does not constitute a rabies exposure. Rabies requires the virus to enter through broken skin or mucous membranes. Second, you have already completed a full 5-dose anti-rabies vaccine course, which provides complete protection even in genuine exposures. A full course produces more than adequate antibody levels. There is absolutely no reason to suspect the 4th dose was incorrect â dispensary nurses administer these routinely. You do not need to start a new course. I would gently note that this pattern of persistent fear despite reassurance and completed vaccination may indicate health anxiety, which is worth addressing with a mental health professional.
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No further rabies vaccine is needed. If intrusive thoughts about contamination or disease persist despite reassurance, please consider speaking to a psychiatrist or counsellor. Please consult me directly on Practo for a detailed evaluation.
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