Rabies Vaccine Facts

• In 1880, Louis Pasteur began to work on the prevention of rabies.

• In 1884, Pasteur had successful results in vaccinating dogs against the virus.

• In 1885, he had his first success in humans when he vaccinated 9 year-old Joseph Meister after he was severely bitten by a rabid dog.

• The vaccine was harvested from rabies-infected rabbits.

• Today, there are two types of rabies vaccine. Pre-exposure prophylaxis is administered before exposure to the virus and post-exposure prophylaxis is administered after exposure to the virus.

• If post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) is administered as soon as possible after a bite or other exposure to the virus (preferable within ten days of exposure), the disease can usually be stopped before it reaches the central nervous system.

• Due to the widespread vaccination of cats and dogs today, the number of deaths from rabies in the U.S. has dropped from over one hundred per year to only 1 or 2 per year.