How many rabies injections are given to a person after a mouse bite? - briefly
Standard post‑exposure prophylaxis after a mouse bite consists of four intramuscular rabies vaccine doses administered on days 0, 3, 7 and 14; an extra dose on day 28 is added for immunocompromised individuals. No rabies immune‑globulin is required because mice are low‑risk vectors.
How many rabies injections are given to a person after a mouse bite? - in detail
A mouse bite that penetrates the skin is considered a potential rabies exposure because wild rodents can carry the virus, although documented cases are rare. Standard post‑exposure prophylaxis (PEP) follows the same protocol used for other mammalian bites.
The regimen consists of two components:
-
Rabies immunoglobulin (RIG) – a single dose of human RIG (20 IU/kg body weight) is infiltrated around the wound as soon as possible, with any remaining volume administered intramuscularly at a distant site. RIG is omitted only if the patient has previously completed a full rabies vaccination series.
-
Rabies vaccine – four intramuscular injections of a modern inactivated vaccine (e.g., Vero cell or purified chick embryo cell) are given on days 0, 3, 7, and 14. For immunocompromised individuals, a fifth dose on day 28 is recommended.
Thus, a previously unvaccinated adult who receives RIG will receive a total of five injections (one immunoglobulin dose plus four vaccine doses). If the individual has already been vaccinated, only the four vaccine doses are required, and RIG is not administered. The schedule is identical regardless of the animal’s species, provided the bite is deemed a credible rabies risk.