Should Rabies Vaccination in the Gluteus Muscle be Treated as Unimmunized? - A Case Report

  • Vrinda Lath Senior Resident, Department of Emergency Medicine, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India.
  • Freston Marc Sirur Associate Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India.
  • Ramya Emergency Medical Technology, Second Semester MSc EMT Student, Medical Technology, Manipal College of Health Professions, Manipal, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India.
  • Omesh Kumar Bharti State Institute of Health & Family Welfare, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India.
Keywords: Rabies, Partial Vaccination, Gluteal Route

Abstract

Rabies is a fatal disease with almost 100% mortality, with the recommended mainstay of management being preventive, postexposure prophylaxis, and mass dog vaccination. In India, there have been many reports of failure of post-exposure prophylaxis, often due to administration, vaccine quality, and storage. One of the contributing factors is the gluteal administration of rabies vaccine. Here we discuss a case of a partially vaccinated child presenting on day 3 following a category 3 bite, with the first two doses administered intramuscularly in the gluteal region. This case highlights a conundrum faced by clinicians who often encounter partially vaccinated patients, which in this case was treated similarly to an unvaccinated case as the route of previous doses was gluteal.

How to cite this article:
Lath V, Sirur FM, Ramya, Bharati OK. Should Rabies Vaccination in the Gluteus Muscle be Treated as Unimmunized? - A Case Report. APCRI J. 2024;26(1):22-24.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24321/0973.5038.202401

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Published
2024-06-29
Section
Case Report