Suspected case of rabies in a patient immunized with anti-rabies vaccine

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20263226

Keywords:

Post exposure prophylaxis failure, Rabies, Rabies vaccine

Abstract

Rabies remains a major public health threat, especially in developing countries like India, where stray dogs account for 99% of human cases. The disease is almost always fatal once symptoms appear, with death occurring within days. Despite highly effective pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) with WHO-recommended vaccines, challenges like occasional vaccine failure persist. In India, rabies causes approximately 20,000 deaths annually. This case highlights a suspected rabies infection that developed despite receiving PEP, exploring potential reasons for the failure. This case emphasizes the necessity for a deeper understanding of factors that may lead to vaccine ineffectiveness. It also underscores the critical role of administering rabies immunoglobulin (RIG), proper wound care and following established guidelines.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

References

Wilde H. Failures of post-exposure rabies prophylaxis. Vaccine. 2007;25(44):7605-9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2007.08.054

Kumar SK, Gupta P, Panda PK. Death from rabies: The reason being poor compliance to vaccination or it's failure. J Fam Med Prim Care. 2020;9(8):4437-40. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_658_20

Mani RS, Damodar T, S D, Domala S, Gurung B, Jadhav V, et al. Case Reports: Survival from rabies: Case series from India. Am J Trop Med Hygiene. 2019;100(1):165-9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.18-0711

Lodha L, Ananda AM, Mani RS. Rabies control in high-burden countries: role of universal pre-exposure immunization. Lancet Regional Health-Southeast Asia. 2023;1:19. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lansea.2023.100258

Tarantola A, Tejiokem MC, Briggs DJ. Evaluating new rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) regimens or vaccines. Vaccine. 2019;37 Suppl 1:A88-93. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2018.10.103

Farinde A. Lab Values, Normal Adult: Laboratory Reference Ranges in Healthy Adults. eMedicine. 2021. Available at: https://emedicine.medscape. com/article/2172316-overview?form=fpf. Accessed on 15 May 2026.

Jameson JL. Harrison’s principles of internal medicine. 21st edition. New York Mcgraw-Hill Education; 2022.

Agmon-Levin N, Kivity S, Szyper-Kravitz M, Shoenfeld Y. Transverse myelitis and vaccines: a multi-analysis. Lupus. 2009;18(13):1198-204. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0961203309345730

Sujitha P, Swetha NB, Gopalakrishnan S. Cost analysis of rabies prophylaxis in India. Int J Comm Med Public Health. 2020;7(9):3403. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20203898

Rasooli A, Pourhossein B, Bashar R, Shirzadi MR, Amiri B, Vadaye Kheiri E, et al. Investigating Possible Etiologies of Post-Exposure Prophylaxis Failure and Deaths From Rabies Infection: Case Reports. Int J Med Toxicol Forensic Med. 2020;10(3):27378. DOI: https://doi.org/10.32598/ijmtfm.v10i3.27378

Downloads

Published

2026-08-31

How to Cite

Parikh, V. T., Gupta, S. D., & Malhotra, S. D. (2026). Suspected case of rabies in a patient immunized with anti-rabies vaccine. International Journal Of Community Medicine And Public Health, 13(9), 5359–5361. https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20263226

Issue

Section

Case Reports