A mother takes her young child to an urgent care clinic requesting "the shot you get to prevent rabies," as her son was bitten by a wild raccoon. What is the appropriate response by the nurse?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) includes a series of immunizations on the day of exposure and on days 3, 7, 14, and 28 after exposure. This treatment approach helps prevent the virus from spreading throughout the body and causing rabies. Waiting for symptoms to occur before immunizing is not recommended because once symptoms appear, it is often too late to prevent the disease. It is also important to note that if an animal is available for testing, that can help determine if PEP is needed. However, waiting for quarantine results before starting PEP is not recommended. Infection with bacteria can occur with animal bites, but administering penicillin is not a standard component of rabies PEP.

A Mother Takes Her Young Child to an Urgent Care