Rabies is a rare but deadly viral infection that affects the brain and nervous system. Human cases of rabies are extremely rare in the UK but the infection poses a risk to travellers visiting regions where the disease remains prevalent.
It is typically transmitted via the bite or scratch of an infected animal. Dogs are the most common carriers, but it can be found in cats, bats, monkeys and other mammals. There are no documented cases of human-to-human transmission of rabies. Once symptoms develop in an infected person after they have been exposed, it is almost always fatal.
Preparing for travel abroad
If you are travelling to a country with rabies, it’s important to know how to prevent the infection and what actions to take following potential exposure. There is information on the Travel Health Pro website about which countries are affected by rabies and when you should consider a rabies vaccine before travel.
Recognising symptoms
Rabies symptoms typically appear within 3 to 12 weeks after exposure (commonly animal bites or scratches), though this timeline can vary. Early signs may be non-specific and include fever, headache, and discomfort at the bite site.
As the infection progresses, more serious symptoms develop, including confusion, muscle spasms, and difficulty swallowing.
Preventing rabies while travelling
Prevention is crucial when visiting countries where rabies is endemic, particularly in parts of Asia, Africa, and Central and South America. Travellers should consider these preventive measures:
- Consult a travel health professional before your trip to determine if pre-exposure vaccination is recommended based on your destination and planned activities.
- Vaccination is particularly important if you’ll be staying for over a month, engaging in outdoor activities, or travelling to areas with limited access to medical care.
- While abroad, avoid contact with animals as much as possible, including dogs, cats, and other wildlife, to reduce your risk of exposure. Remember that infected animals may not always display obvious symptoms of disease. It’s important to tell children to avoid touching animals and if they do, to let you know about any bites or scratches straight away.
Responding to potential exposure
If you are bitten, scratched, or licked on broken skin by an animal in a rabies-endemic country, take these immediate steps:
- Thoroughly wash the wound with plenty of soap and water for several minutes. This simple measure can significantly reduce the risk of infection.
- Seek local medical attention without delay – even if you’ve been vaccinated. Don’t wait until you return to the UK. Post-exposure treatment is highly effective when administered promptly, before symptoms develop.
- Contact your GP on return to the UK, even if you received post exposure treatment abroad or the exposure happened several weeks ago. You may need to continue a course of rabies vaccines. If you have a record of any treatment given, remember to bring this with you. Your GP will also be able to arrange for post exposure treatment if this hasn’t been started while you were abroad but is considered necessary by UKHSA.
The UK is free from rabies in animal populations, but rabies-like viruses have been found in some bats in the UK. If you’re bitten by a bat in the UK, contact your doctor promptly for assessment and possible vaccination.
Vaccine effectiveness
A full course of pre-exposure rabies vaccines will provide good protection from rabies for most people. People who completed their full course of rabies pre-exposure vaccine over a year ago and are travelling again to a high risk area for rabies can have a single booster dose.
However, it is still important to seek medical advice if you are bitten, scratched or licked on broken skin by an animal overseas. If you had a full course of pre-exposure vaccines before travel, even years beforehand, you will only need two additional rabies vaccine doses after an exposure and will not need immunoglobulin.
Once symptoms develop, there is no effective treatment, and the disease is usually fatal, so getting medical attention as fast as you can is really important.
Rabies in the UK
The UK has been free from rabies in animals other than bats since 1902, making domestic infection extremely rare.
Some UK bat species can carry European Bat Lyssaviruses (EBLVs), rabies-like viruses that caused the death of a professional bat handler who sustained several bites in Scotland in 2002. Most human rabies cases reported in the UK are acquired abroad, with 6 such cases recorded between 2000 and 2024.
