If I am bitten by a rat, do I need to get a rabies vaccine?

Today, when I was seeing patients in the emergency room, a patient asked for a rabies vaccine because his index finger was bitten by a rat and was bleeding, and he was worried that rats would spread the rabies virus.

Rabies is a disease with a mortality rate of almost 100%. If an animal carrying rabies virus scratches, bites, licks the mucous membrane or breaks the skin, the virus may invade our body. Therefore, we need to go to the hospital as soon as possible to treat the wound and get rabies vaccine. So, can other animals, such as mice, spread rabies virus?

Wild or stray carnivorous mammals , such as dogs, cats, wolves, foxes, badgers, bats , etc., are high-risk animals for spreading rabies virus. If bitten by such animals, you need to seek medical treatment in time, treat the wound, and get rabies vaccine.

If you are bitten, scratched, or licked on your mucous membrane or broken skin by animals such as mice, hamsters, rabbits, and ducklings , you do not need to be vaccinated against rabies.

After being bitten by any animal, the wound needs to be cleaned and disinfected. After being bitten, wash the wound alternately with soapy water and running clean water with a certain pressure as soon as possible, and wash for at least 15 minutes. After the wound is cleaned, disinfect it with iodine or other disinfectants. If the wound is too deep or contaminated, there may be a risk of tetanus infection, so you need to seek medical treatment in time.

Rodents can transmit Hantavirus to humans through blood, urine, feces, etc. After being bitten by a rat, you need to monitor your health. If you have high fever, headache, back pain, orbital pain, redness or bleeding on the face, neck, and upper chest within 1-2 weeks, you should go to the hospital immediately and inform the doctor that you have been bitten by a rat.