Originally Posted by
Doc Alan
You would NOT be " screwed " if bitten by a rabid animal without having had pre-exposure vaccination. The wound should be cleaned carefully and thoroughly with soap and water, and left open. A course of post-exposure vaccines should be started and immunoglobulin should be given as soon as possible after the bite.
Of course there are far more animal bites than cases of rabies in the Philippines. The management of each situation needs judgement according to the circumstances and what is known ( or becomes known ) of the animal's rabies status ( positive, previously immunised, or negative ).