Rabies Vaccination Guidelines 2025 Booster

First, after a full course of routine vaccination against rabies, ordinary people who have not been exposed again do not need to take regular booster shots; second, in the case of re-exposure, there is no need for follow-up shots within half a year, but 2 shots (one shot each day on 0 and 3 days) are given from half a year to 1 year, and 3 shots (0, 3 shots each day) are given from 1 to 3 years. 3. One injection every 7 days), and it is recommended to re-inject the whole course after 3 years; third, high-risk groups such as veterinarians and stray animal rescuers should test rabies neutralizing antibodies every 2 to 3 years. If the titer is lower than 0.5IU/ml, then just give another injection to strengthen. There is no need to vaccinate according to a fixed cycle.

Last week I went to the community health service center near my home to get the physical examination report. I happened to encounter Dr. Li from the prevention and health department advising a little girl wearing Lolita. The girl had just completed 5 injections last month. Today, she got a red mark from her ragdoll cat. She insisted on taking 2 more injections. She cried and said she was afraid of getting rabies. Dr. Li looked through her vaccination record and wiped her wound with alcohol. He said that if it was not broken, it would not even be considered a second-level exposure, so there was no need for vaccination at all. After coaxing her for a long time, he persuaded her to leave.

In fact, many people go to extremes in their understanding of rabies booster shots. The two schools that are the most noisy on the Internet now are: one is the "insurance school", which says that as long as a cat or dog touches it, no matter when the last shot was, a booster is required. After all, the mortality rate of rabies is 100%, so it is always right to be careful;

Both of these statements are actually a bit biased. The "Technical Guidelines for Rabies Prevention and Control" just updated by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention in January 2025 clearly states that as long as there is a clear record of full vaccination, there is no need for a booster for re-exposure within six months (as long as it is not a particularly serious multiple bites on the head and face), as long as the person is rinsed with soap and water for more than 15 minutes. The problem with the "lay-flat camp" is that even if a domestic animal is vaccinated, there is no 100% guarantee that it will not be poisonous. Especially for cats and dogs that often sneak out to play with stray animals. If they are really bitten and bleed, they still have to take supplements. The one in 10,000 chance is really not possible.

Oh, by the way, the biggest adjustment between the 2025 version of the guidelines and the previous one is that it has canceled the rigid requirement for high-risk groups to "get a booster shot every year" and changed it to give priority to testing for antibodies. If the titer is sufficient, no injection is needed. Akai, a volunteer at the stray animal rescue station I met before, had to get a shot every year before. This year he went to get an antibody test, and the titer was still 2.3IU/ml, which is more than 4 times higher than the passing line. The doctor said that he can take another test in at least two years, which saved him hundreds of dollars.

If you go to different medical institutions and ask, you may get different answers. In some places, as long as you are more than one year old, you will be asked to take the entire test again no matter what the situation. In fact, you cannot say that they are wrong. After all, many grassroots hospitals cannot do rabies antibody tests. They are afraid of risks, so they use the most conservative standards. If you don’t want to get more injections, you can find a qualified institution to get your titer measured first. If the result is sufficient, you won’t have to suffer. After all, your arm will be sore for several days after the injection, and it’s not necessary to even lift your arm to pick up the courier.

Many people are afraid of the side effects of the booster shot. In fact, most of my friends who received the shot had red spots where they were vaccinated for two days, and a very few developed a low fever, which subsided in a day or two. It was less severe than the reaction of the first full course of the shot, so there is really no need to be too anxious. Oh, by the way, if you can’t remember the last time you got vaccinated, and you can’t find the vaccination record, then don’t worry about the time. Just follow the doctor’s assessment. If you should be vaccinated, you should be vaccinated for the whole process. If you should be vaccinated, get stronger and stronger, so you don’t have to scare yourself by posting scary posts every day.

In fact, in the final analysis, there is no "must-do" rabies booster shot. It is all based on a comprehensive judgment based on the exposure situation and previous vaccination history. Don't rely on the fragmented information on the Internet to make your own decisions, and don't be careless and ignore being bitten by a stray dog. If you are not sure, go to the regular prevention and control department to ask, which is much more reliable than searching online for half a day.