Question

A 16-year old boy presents with a superficial bite to his right arm. He states he was camping in the woods and a bat flew into his tent. Which of the following treatments should this patient receive?

A) Human rabies immunoglobulin and 3 doses of inactivated rabies vaccine over 7 days
B) Human rabies immunoglobulin and 4 doses of inactivated rabies vaccine over 14 days
C) Human rabies immunoglobulin only
D) Inactivated rabies vaccine only

Answer 1

The correct treatment for a 16-year old boy with a superficial bat bite is human rabies immunoglobulin and 4 doses of inactivated rabies vaccine over 14 days to provide both passive and active immunity against rabies.

Step-by-step explanation:

A 16-year old boy who has suffered a superficial bite from a bat while camping should receive an immediate intra-muscular injection of human rabies immunoglobulin, along with a series of inactivated rabies vaccine doses. Due to the slow progression of the rabies virus, this treatment is necessary to prevent the virus from advancing to the central nervous system. The typical regimen after exposure to rabies includes the administration of human rabies

immunoglobulin at the time of the first vaccine dose to provide immediate passive immunity. Following this, four doses of an inactivated rabies vaccine are given on days 0, 3, 7, and 14 to develop active immunity against the virus. Therefore, the correct answer is B) Human rabies immunoglobulin and 4 doses of inactivated rabies vaccine over 14 days. Rabies treatment is effective if started before the virus reaches the central nervous system, which usually takes a week or longer after the bite.