Candid snapshot of a woman with her arm around her pet dog as they sit together on a lakefront dock

Dogs Still Get and Spread Rabies

Dogs still account for 99% of rabies transmissions to humans worldwide. But thanks to an effective campaign to get pets vaccinated, the transmission of the rabies virus in dogs has been almost eliminated in North America.3

The last dog bite suspected of causing rabies in a human in the US occurred in the early 1990s near the border with Mexico.3,4

A gloved health care professional preparing a syringe

Vaccines Are Important1

Protect your pet. Rabies is entirely preventable through smart habits and proper vaccination.

  • Have your pet vaccinated for rabies, and stay current with their shots
  • Don’t let your pets roam where they can encounter a wild or stray animal
  • Don’t leave garbage or food outside that could attract unwanted animals
  • Never keep a wild animal as a pet
  • Keep your distance from wild animals. Rabid animals sometimes appear tame
  • Teach your children to avoid unfamiliar animals
  • If you notice a wild animal acting strangely, report it to your local animal control authorities
  • Bat-proof your home to prevent bats from nesting and coming in contact with you or your pets

What if Your Pet Gets Bitten?1

  • Contact your veterinarian immediately
  • Follow your veterinarian’s instructions
  • Report the bite to your local animal control authority

Pets with a current vaccination will still need to be revaccinated immediately. Animals with an expired vaccination will need to be evaluated. Unfortunately, animals that have never been vaccinated may need to be euthanized.

Find Out if You’ve Been Exposed to Rabies

Rabies Exposure and You

Important Safety Information for HyperRAB® (rabies immune globulin [human])

Indication and Usage
HYPERRAB® (rabies immune globulin [human]) is indicated for postexposure prophylaxis, along with rabies vaccine, for all persons suspected of exposure to rabies.

Limitations of Use
Persons who have been previously immunized with rabies vaccine and have a confirmed adequate rabies antibody titer should receive only vaccine. For unvaccinated persons, the combination of HYPERRAB and vaccine is recommended for both bite and nonbite exposures regardless of the time interval between exposure and initiation of postexposure prophylaxis. Beyond 7 days (after the first vaccine dose), HYPERRAB is not indicated since an antibody response to vaccine is presumed to have occurred.

Important Safety Information

For infiltration and intramuscular use only.

Severe hypersensitivity reactions may occur with HYPERRAB. Patients with a history of prior systemic allergic reactions to human immunoglobulin preparations are at a greater risk of developing severe hypersensitivity and anaphylactic reactions. Have epinephrine available for treatment of acute allergic symptoms, should they occur.

HYPERRAB is made from human blood and may carry a risk of transmitting infectious agents, eg, viruses, the variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) agent, and, theoretically, the Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) agent.

The most common adverse reactions in >5% of subjects during clinical trials were injection-site pain, headache, injection-site nodule, abdominal pain, diarrhea, flatulence, nasal congestion, and oropharyngeal pain.

Do not administer repeated doses of HYPERRAB once vaccine treatment has been initiated as this could prevent the full expression of active immunity expected from the rabies vaccine.

Other antibodies in the HYPERRAB preparation may interfere with the response to live vaccines such as measles, mumps, polio, or rubella. Defer immunization with live vaccines for 4 months after HYPERRAB administration.

Please see full Prescribing Information for HYPERRAB.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088

References

  1. American Veterinary Medical Association. Rabies. Accessed July 16, 2024. https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/one-health/rabies#.
  2. Manning SE, Rupprecht CE, Fishbein D, et al. Human rabies prevention—United States, 2008: recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. MMWR Recomm Rep. 2008;57(RR-3):1-28.
  3. Whitehill F, Bonaparte S, Hartloge C. et al. Rabies in a dog imported from Azerbaijan—Pennsylvania, 2021. MMWR and Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 2022;71(20):686-689.
  4. Feder H, Petersen B, Robertson K, et al. Rabies: still a uniformly fatal disease? Historical occurrence, epidemiological trends, and paradigm shifts. Curr Infect Dis Rep. 2012;14:408–422.