Rabies Vaccine
Travelling to high-risk areas? Protect yourself with the rabies vaccine and other essential travel vaccinations at Kamsons Pharmacy. Vaccination is crucial if you’re heading to regions where rabies is common. Kamsons Pharmacy offers a quick and easy rabies vaccine service, ensuring you’re ready for a safe and worry-free journey.
What is rabies?
Rabies is primarily transmitted through the bites or scratches of infected warm-blooded animals such as dogs and bats. The virus can also spread if an infected animal licks your eyes, nose, mouth, or any open wound. Unfortunately, once rabies symptoms appear, the disease is almost always fatal. This makes getting vaccinated against rabies crucial, particularly if you’re traveling to regions where the disease is prevalent.
Human cases of rabies are most commonly reported in Asia, Africa, and South and Latin America.
For specific recommendations please visit the Travel Health Pro website for travel advice based on your destination.
Rabies Symptoms
While rabies is rare among travellers, bites and scratches from animals are common, and it can be difficult to determine if an animal is infected as they may not show symptoms.
Early symptoms of rabies may include:
- Headache
- Fever
- General weakness
- Numbness or tingling around the wound site
- Muscle spasms
- Hydrophobia (fear of water)
- Convulsions
If you suspect you’ve been exposed to rabies, it’s essential to seek medical attention immediately.
Reduce the risk of rabies
If you’re traveling to an area where rabies is a risk or if there’s a chance you could come into contact with infected animals, we highly recommend getting the rabies vaccine. Ideally, you should visit a Kamsons Pharmacy at least 8 weeks before your trip to ensure proper vaccination coverage.
Some additional precautions to reduce your risk of rabies include:
- Avoiding contact with wild or stray animals, and never feeding them.
- If bitten or scratched, immediately wash the wound thoroughly with soap and water, and seek medical help.
- Researching local healthcare facilities in case of an emergency.
Do I need the rabies vaccine?
Vaccination is recommended for anyone travelling to regions where rabies is common especially if you are staying in that region for over a month, if that region has limited healthcare or it will be difficult to get prompt medical help or if you are likely to come into contact with infected animals.
Our vaccination service and how it works
Many Kamsons Pharmacy locations offer travel vaccinations, including the rabies vaccine, which are administered in-branch. Here’s how the process works:
- Register Your Interest: Simply complete the online questionnaire to begin the process.
- Consultation: Your form will be reviewed by one of our independent prescribers.
- Appointment Scheduling: After completing our online consultation form wait 48 hours before contacting your chosen branch to arrange your vaccination slot.
The rabies vaccine is available at Kamsons Pharmacy for £85 per dose. The full vaccination course consists of three doses (administered on days 0, 7, and 28). Completing all three doses is essential for full protection.
If you’re planning to travel, you may also be interested in our Period Delay, Antimalarial, and Travel Vaccine services to ensure your health and safety abroad.
FAQs
Will I need a booster dose of the rabies vaccine?
Most people won’t need a booster dose after completing the initial three-dose course. However, if you had the rabies vaccine more than a year ago and are traveling to a high-risk area, a booster may be recommended. People who are at risk through work may also require a booster after the first year, followed by a booster every few years.
How effective is the rabies vaccine?
The rabies vaccine is approximately 95% effective for those who complete the full 3-dose course. However, no vaccine offers 100% protection. If you believe you’ve been exposed to rabies, seek medical care immediately—even if you’ve been vaccinated. Protection from the vaccine typically lasts for 1-2 years, and further boosters may be required based on your risk factors.
Do you offer an accelerated vaccination service?
If there isn’t enough time to complete the full vaccination course over the standard 28 days, sometimes it is possible to offer an accelerated vaccination schedule over 21 or 7 days.
Do I need to bring anything to my appointment?
Please remember to bring a valid form of ID to your appointment.