ACIP Votes to Recommend Reduced Rabies Vaccination Series

Posted: June 24, 2009

Added: July 10, 2009ACIP Provisional Recommendations for Prevention of Rabies pdf icon[PDF – 960KB]

syringe and vials of medicine

At the June 24, 2009 Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) meeting, the rabies working group presented evidence in support of a recommendation to reduce the number of vaccine doses in the human rabies postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) series from 5 to 4 doses. After much discussion, ACIP voted in favor of accepting the recommendation.

This will effectively change the for human rabies prevention as follows: the PEP series will consist of the administration of human rabies immune globulin (20IU/kg body weight) on day 0 and 4 doses of vaccine (1ml administered intramuscularly) on days 0, 3, 7, and 14. Formal publication of the recommendations will be forthcoming.