Rabies Vaccine

Service Description

Rabies is a zoonotic disease caused by exposure to saliva or neural tissue from an animal infected with rabies virus or other lyssaviruses. Human exposure can occur through an animal scratch or bite that has broken the skin, or by direct contact of the virus with the mucosal surface of a person, such as nose, eye or mouth. Pre-exposure rabies vaccine is recommended for: - People who have contact with bats - People who travel to rabies-enzootic regions, based on a risk assessment - Laboratory workers who work with live lyssaviruses Rabies is almost always fatal. Australia is not a rabies-enzootic country. Exposure to classical rabies virus can occur from terrestrial animals and other mammals in rabies-enzootic countries. Bats anywhere in the world are a potential source of lyssaviruses and a potential risk for acquiring rabies, depending on how a person is exposed. Evidence of Australian bat lyssavirus infection has been identified in all 4 species of Australian fruit bats (flying foxes) and in several species of Australian insectivorous bats.