Always prepare the vaccine immediately before you are about to administer it. Make sure to check the expiration dates on both the powder and the water. If either is expired, do not use it.
For adults, use a needle that is between 1–1. 5 inches (2. 5–3. 8 cm). For children over the age of 1, use a 1 inch (2. 5 cm) needle. For children under the age of 1, use a needle between 7⁄8–1 inch (2. 2–2. 5 cm). If you are vaccinating multiple people at once, always use a separate syringe and needle for each injection. [4] X Trustworthy Source Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Main public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human Services Go to source
In most cases, one dose of this vaccination is 1 ml of liquid, but depending on the brand of the vaccine and age of the patient, this may vary from 0. 5 ml up to 2 ml.
Remind the patient that the vaccine is necessary if bitten by an animal that has a high risk of carrying rabies, such as a raccoon, squirrel, bat, or feral dog. You may want to emphasize that the vaccine is almost 100% effective in preventing the development of rabies. Once rabies develops, however, it is nearly almost always fatal. Tell the patient to watch out for side effects after the vaccine, such as confusion, dizziness, diarrhea, seizures, muscle weakness, burning at the injection site, or swelling around the eyes. Advise them to get immediate treatment if they notice these symptoms.
Make sure that the site is not bruised, wounded, or injured. If one arm is injured, inject the vaccine into the other arm. Never administer the vaccine to an adult on the gluteal area. This may reduce the effectiveness of the vaccine.
With the pre-exposure vaccine, a few days difference in timing on the third dose does not matter.
If there is a visible wound, you may also need to apply human rabies immune globulin to the wound. Consult your practice or hospital’s protocol for further information. With the post-exposure vaccination, it is important to stay on track with the timing of the dose. If the patient has a compromised immune system, provide an additional dose on day 28.
