Plenty of rabies vaccine for people who suspect exposure, officials say

Sacramento-area residents exposed to rabid animals will have plenty of access to rabies vaccines, health officials say, despite a warning from the Centers for Disease Control that doses of the drug are running low for humans.

The people who will feel the effect of the low supplies are those trying to get preventative shots because they have a higher chance of being exposed, through travel, for example. Pre-exposure vaccines will be given to only those at greatest risk, such as wildlife workers, health officials say.

Two companies, Novartis Vaccines and Sanofi Pasteur, provide all rabies vaccines in the U.S. The low vaccine supply is partially the result of Novartis not meeting projected vaccine manufacturing numbers, according to the CDC.

In Sacramento and Yolo counties, anyone who suspects they have been exposed to rabies will receive the five-dose series of shots, said Lea Brooks of the California Department of Public Health.

Travelers to remote places in Southeast Asia where rabies risk is high would usually be advised to get a prophylactic vaccine, said Dr. Charles Rupprecht of the CDC. Veterinary students also usually receive pre-exposure vaccines. With vaccines now limited, though, these groups will not be given priority and are advised to delay risky activities until the vaccine is more readily available.

Vaccines prevent rabies from developing in people who have been exposed. If rabies symptoms appear, the disease is almost always fatal.

"The vaccine is extremely effective," Rupprecht said. "Among people who received post-exposure vaccines, there have been no deaths in the past 30 years."

Rabies is a viral disease transmitted through the saliva and nervous tissue of mammals, according to Sacramento County health officer Dr. Glenna Trochet. Humans most commonly get it through bites from animals. Human-to-human transmission is possible but rare, Trochet said.

"It's foolish not to vaccinate dogs and cats against rabies," Trochet said. "Even if you have no money, all animal control divisions in Sacramento County have low-cost vaccination clinics every month."

Because Sacramento-area residents live in an area with interaction between wild animals, domestic animals and humans, they run a slightly increased risk of contracting rabies, said Gina Davis a professor at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.

As of June 17, 55 rabid animals were reported this year to the state Department of Public Health. Sacramento County has had no cases this year; Yolo County has had seven rabid bats.

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