Emergencies.

Treatment after a bite or scratch 

If you have been bitten, scratched or licked by an animal in a high risk country or that might have rabies, you will need specialist medical treatment to stop you getting rabies. This is called post-exposure treatment. 

Post-exposure treatment involves: 

• cleaning and disinfecting the wound immediately 
• a course of the rabies vaccine – you’ll need to have 4 doses over a month if you have not been vaccinated against rabies before, or 2 doses a few days apart if you have 
• in some cases, a medicine called immunoglobulin is given into and around the wound – this provides immediate but short-term protection if there’s a significant chance you have been infected 

Treatment should be started quickly, ideally within a few hours of being bitten or scratched. 

If this happens while you’re abroad, get local medical help immediately. Do not wait until you have returned to the UK. 

If you have already returned to the UK without getting medical advice, it’s still a good idea to get help, even if it’s been several weeks since you were bitten or scratched. 

Post-exposure treatment is nearly 100% effective if it’s started before any symptoms of rabies appear. 

Treatment in Lothian 

Please note that post exposure Rabies treatment cannot be provided by the pre-travel team or clinics. It is administered by a specialist unit in the Western General Hospital. To arrange treatment or continuation of vaccines given after a bite please ask your healthcare provider (GP, Minor Injuries, A&E, HCP) to call the Western General Hospital and ask for the “ID registrar on call” who will arrange for you to be seen at the Regional Infectious Disease Unit. It is useful to have all the patients personal details as well as dates of the bite and any treatment started when calling for a referral. 

Regional Infectious Disease Unit 
Western General Hospital 
Crewe Road South
Edinburgh
EH4 2XU
Telephone: 0131 537 1000