Preexposure Prophylaxis Against Rabies

Abstract

During investigations to determine a satisfactory, practical preexposure regimen for administering rabies vaccine to groups of people at high risk, a total of 540 volunteers received vaccine of chick or duck embryo origin. The results of these studies indicate that the most practical regimen consists of two subcutaneous injections of 1.0 ml of duck embryo rabies vaccine given a month apart followed by a booster of 1.0 ml of the vaccine seven months after the second injection. Ninety percent of the volunteers who were on this regimen had a detectable serum neutralizing antibody titer one month after the last injection.