Question
My daughter is 17 months old. She was lightly touched by our neighbor’s Teddy dog, and there was no break in the skin or bleeding. She didn’t cry. Should I be worried about her contracting rabies? The dogs in the city are vaccinated every year, and they don’t come into much contact with other dogs. Even if there was a small wound, it’s been 15 days now, and the dog is still alive. According to the 10-day observation method, should humans also be safe?
Answer
Based on your situation, your baby should not be at risk of rabies infection. Rabies is caused by the rabies virus transmitted from mammals during their illness through bites or scratches, via the bloodstream. Since there was no break in the skin or bleeding at the time, the virus would not have been transmitted. I suggest you don’t worry too much. Animals that bite usually die within 10 days of becoming ill. If they haven’t died within 10 days, it indicates that they were healthy at the time of the bite. I hope this explanation is helpful!