Jobs or Hobbies That Increase the Risk of Rabies Exposure

Those who do certain kinds of work or activities with a high risk of rabies exposure include:

• Veterinarians.
• Animal handlers.
• Lab workers who regularly handle rabies specimens.
• People who regularly enter bat caves (spelunkers and speleologists).
• Field biologists.
• Travelers who spend 30 days or more in areas where dog rabies is more common. These areas include Latin America, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and Africa.

Travelers should have their rabies vaccinations before they leave and should schedule the vaccinations before they begin taking medicines to prevent malaria.

Credits

By	Healthwise Staff
Primary Medical Reviewer	E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine
Specialist Medical Reviewer	W. David Colby IV, MSc, MD, FRCPC - Infectious Disease
Last Revised	August 27, 2012