Travel medicine update - rabies Published Oct. 8, 2008 By 52nd Medical Group SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany -- Like any disease, prevention is always the best cure, and avoiding the bite of an infected animal is the best way to prevent rabies. If you are bitten, post - exposure treatment comes in the form of a series of six injections of rabies vaccine over the course of one month. The supply of the rabies vaccine is tight right now due to production shortages. Luckily in the U.S. and Western Europe, rabies is a relatively rare disease. In the U.S. it is mainly a disease of wild animals like skunks, raccoons and bats. In Germany the disease is also fairly rare, and there are programs in place to vaccinate wildlife. In some areas, especially Africa and Asia, rabies is still fairly common and is predominantly found in domestic animals. According to the World Health Organization, 3.11 billion people live in 15 Asian countries that are endemic for dog rabies. What does that mean for the 52nd Fighter Wing Sabers? While travelling, whether on a military deployment or for pleasure, avoid contact with animals. Don't adopt any strays for pets, don't pet any unfamiliar animals, and be particularly careful that your kids follow the same rule around local animals while travelling. Avoiding bites is now more important than ever because the rabies vaccine is in short supply. The two major manufacturers worldwide are Novartis Vaccines and Sanofi Pasteur. Sanofi Pasteur has shut down their production facility in France to install new upgrades. Prior to shutting down production, Sanofi Pasteur stockpiled a backup supply based on the history of demand. Unforeseen, demand has been running higher than predicted, and the supply is tight. Public health officials around the globe are strictly controlling the distribution of rabies vaccines to the cases that are most likely to be from bites of a rabid animal. In the Air Force, the vaccine is still attainable, but the procedures to obtain it will be closely scrutinized, and less will be available at local medical facilities. If bitten or scratched by an animal, immediately clean the wound with soap and water and call the appointment line at DSN 452-8333. If the bite was from a pet, it's important to check the history of the pet's immunizations for a history of rabies. For further questions, check out the Center for Disease Control and Prevention Web site http://www.cdc.gov/rabies/ or call Public Health at the 52 MDG at DSN 452-8427.