Question
I was bitten by a dog, and there was no skin breakage or bleeding, only bruising. Do I need to be injected with a rabies vaccine?
Answer
If a dog bite does not break the skin, it is not recommended to be vaccinated with a rabies vaccine immediately. Rabies virus typically enters the human bloodstream through the broken skin wound from the dog’s saliva, which is how infection can occur. If the wound does not break the skin, the chance of the virus entering the bloodstream is extremely low. Additionally, the probability of a normal dog carrying the rabies virus is also very low.