Can I get rabies vaccine during the epidemic? What should I do if I need to get rabies vaccine during the epidemic?

We all know that rabies vaccine is an important preventive vaccine. Generally, you need to get rabies vaccine after being bitten by a dog, and it needs to be done in time, otherwise it may be life-threatening. So can you get rabies vaccine during the epidemic? Let's take a closer look!

Can I get rabies vaccine during the epidemic?

Rabies vaccination is available during the epidemic.

To ensure that citizens under quarantine and observation can receive timely wound treatment and vaccination if they are accidentally scratched or bitten by cats or dogs during the COVID-19 epidemic, the managers of centralized quarantine medical observation sites should arrange special personnel and vehicles as soon as possible after receiving the vaccination needs of quarantined personnel, and transfer citizens to the city's rabies exposure clinic for vaccination in a timely manner under the premise of good protection. Vaccination clinics are arranged based on the principle of proximity. Those who have been vaccinated in the early stage should be sent to the original vaccination clinic for vaccination, and then return immediately by the original route, and follow up health monitoring should be carried out. Medical institutions shall not give vaccines to vaccine recipients to take back by themselves.

Vaccines are biological products used to prevent various diseases and can prevent deaths caused by diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, measles, rabies, etc. During the pneumonia epidemic caused by the new coronavirus, people are reluctant to go to the hospital to prevent infection, but the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention recently spoke out and proposed that there are four vaccines that need to be vaccinated in a timely manner.

According to Feng Luzhao, a researcher at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the first dose of hepatitis B vaccine and BCG vaccine for newborns should be arranged in time; if the mother is hepatitis B surface antigen positive, it is recommended that the second and third doses of hepatitis B vaccine for the newborn be administered in time after making an appointment with the vaccination unit; rabies and tetanus must be administered in time according to the vaccination procedure.

What should I do if I need to get rabies vaccine during the epidemic?

Considering the epidemic risk, meaningless dog bite clinic visits should be avoided at this stage, so we divide it into two situations:

Can be directly observed, no need to get rabies vaccine immediately

The animals have never been in contact with the outside world and are not likely to be infected by viruses;

The exposed person has received a full course of rabies vaccination (5 shots or 4 shots) within 3 months, or a full course of booster vaccination (2 shots, 3 months apart);

If the animal has completed two rabies vaccinations (once per year) in a regular hospital, the 10-day observation method can be directly applied (that is, if the animal survives healthily for 10 days after injuring a person, the person can stop vaccinating).

Not suitable for direct observation, should seek medical attention immediately

That is, the dog bite victims with level II and III exposure should be identified. At this time, they should immediately go to the dog bite treatment clinic for standardized wound treatment and rabies vaccination, and it is not advisable to delay. For those who have already started rabies vaccination, it is recommended to complete the vaccination as planned.

Where can I get rabies vaccine during the epidemic?

There will be different specific hospitals in different places. Please consult local hospitals and medical institutions for specific circumstances.

Let’s take Nanchang as an example:

1. If you are accidentally bitten or injured by a dog during the epidemic, you can go to the Provincial Chest Hospital or the Emergency Department of the No. 9 Municipal Hospital, receive rabies and tetanus vaccines in a timely manner according to the vaccination procedures, and take good care of the wound.

2. Newborns born in the obstetrics department of a medical institution during the epidemic can receive the first dose of hepatitis B vaccine and BCG vaccine in the obstetrics department of the medical institution where they were born. Newborns born to mothers with positive hepatitis B surface antigen can contact the vaccination unit for the second and third doses of hepatitis B vaccine to make an appointment and verify, so that the clinic can prepare for your vaccination in advance.

3. In addition to the vaccination services in the above two situations, other vaccination services. During the first-level response period of major public health emergencies, all vaccination units will suspend vaccination services. After the epidemic is over, arrangements will be made for children to receive booster vaccinations as soon as possible.

What happens if rabies vaccination is delayed?

1. Rabies vaccine is ineffective if it is delayed for a few days after the patient is bitten. In this case, the harm to the patient's body is still relatively large, and the rabies virus in the patient's body will slowly transfer to other nervous systems. Although the transfer time is relatively slow, due to the long incubation period of rabies virus, it is impossible to accurately know the rabies virus in the patient's body and to what extent. Therefore, the general recommendation is that patients need to be immediately injected with rabies vaccine within 24 hours after being infected with rabies virus. Generally, it will take a certain amount of time for antibodies to be produced after the injection of the vaccine.

2. Therefore, the general recommendation is that patients need to treat the wound immediately after being bitten by small animals, and immediately seek medical treatment and get a rabies vaccine with the help of a doctor. Most patients need to be injected within 24 hours. If the injection is delayed for a few days, it will affect the effect of the treatment, and the effect of the treatment will not be great. Vaccination is an indispensable link. After the injection of rabies vaccine, patients can effectively avoid the chance of rabies.