Do I Need a Rabies Vaccine Before Travelling?
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By Abhimanyu Kochhar (Abhi)
GPhC-registered pharmacist · Travel Vaccination Service Manager · Southall Branch Manager
Discuss rabies vaccination before travelling if your destination has a rabies risk, especially when medical help may be difficult to reach, your activities could bring you near animals or you are staying for a longer period. The decision is about the whole trip, not simply whether you intend to touch a dog.
At a glance
- Consider the destination, activities, length of stay and access to treatment.
- Pre-travel vaccination can simplify treatment after exposure; it does not remove the need for it.
- Bring records of any previous rabies doses.
- Have the appropriate schedule confirmed for your circumstances.
- A possible exposure needs immediate medical help, even if you have been vaccinated.
Who should raise the question at a travel consultation?
NHS guidance identifies travellers to rabies-risk areas where prompt treatment may be difficult to obtain, those doing activities such as running or cycling, and people staying for more than a month. These are reasons for assessment rather than a substitute for it.
Describe the less obvious parts of your holiday: independent journeys, remote accommodation and changes you may make after arrival. “Two weeks away” gives much less useful information than where you will be and how you would reach medical help.
For children, tell the provider their exact ages and confirm that the clinic can offer the appropriate service before attending. Give each family member their own assessment.
Separate the chance of exposure from access to care
Two practical questions help structure the discussion: could this trip bring me close to animals, and what would I do if an exposure happened? You do not need to predict an accident to plan for one.
For an illustrative remote cycling trip, ask the organiser about access to healthcare along the route. For a city break, ask how you would obtain urgent care outside normal opening hours. Neither example decides the vaccination recommendation on its own.
Keep insurer contact details and vaccine records accessible. A travel companion should know where the information is held, particularly when the group may separate during the day.
What does vaccination change after an exposure?
NaTHNaC explains that pre-exposure vaccination simplifies subsequent treatment. The treatment required still depends on previous doses, the exposure and your health, including immune status. Tell the assessing clinician exactly what vaccination you have received.
Vaccination does not give you an agreed period in which it is safe to wait after a bite. Do not interpret a shorter treatment course as permission to finish the holiday before seeking care.
Ask for a copy of your vaccination record and take it with you. A photo can help communicate the details, but keep the underlying record safely as well.
How many appointments will I need?
The NHS describes a usual three-dose course over 28 days, with shorter schedules in some circumstances. NaTHNaC also discusses vaccine-specific schedules and evolving guidance. Have the regimen confirmed rather than assuming that any two appointments complete the same course.
Bring the dates and products used if you started elsewhere. Ask whether any later dose or follow-up is part of the plan. The most useful written quotation identifies the proposed schedule as well as the cost per dose.
Tell the clinician about previous vaccine reactions, relevant allergies, pregnancy, medicines and health conditions. Suitability and timing should be assessed together. Confirm availability with the branch rather than assuming stock from a website listing.
Already bitten or scratched? Seek urgent care
This is an urgent treatment question, not a routine travel booking. NHS advice is to wash bites or scratches with soap and water and seek medical help immediately after a possible exposure. Relevant exposure includes animal saliva contacting a wound, eyes, nose or mouth.
If you are abroad, get help locally; do not wait until you return to the UK. If you are in the UK, seek an urgent GP appointment or contact NHS 111. Get help even if vaccinated.
If treatment is provided abroad, keep written details and photos of the records. NaTHNaC advises recording the treatment received so follow-up can take account of the vaccine and other treatment used. Do not delay starting care while trying to contact your usual travel clinic.
Avoid contact, including with animals that look well
NHS prevention advice includes avoiding wild or stray animals and not feeding animals, including at sanctuaries. A familiar-looking or calm animal does not establish that contact is safe.
Explain the rule to children before the trip and remind them during it. Make it easy for them to report a scratch or lick without fearing they will be blamed.
Use the pre-travel appointment to settle the plan while you have time: vaccination decisions, where records will be kept, and how urgent care would be obtained.
Ask Abhi
Abhimanyu Kochhar | Pharmacist
Travel health, vaccination records and your next step
Does a short holiday rule out a need to discuss rabies vaccination?
No. Duration is one factor. Activities, destination and access to prompt treatment also matter.
If I am vaccinated, can I wait until I get home after a bite?
No. Seek urgent medical help locally after a possible exposure, regardless of pre-travel vaccination.
I was vaccinated years ago. Should I start again?
Bring the record and ask for an assessment. Do not assume that another complete course is needed because time has passed.
Can a routine consultation treat a bite that has already happened?
Do not wait for a routine booking. Use the urgent medical route described above and tell the treating clinician about your travel and vaccine history.
Your pre-travel consultation at Puri Pharmacy
For preparation before travel, Abhimanyu Kochhar leads Puri Pharmacy’s travel vaccination service. Bring your itinerary and any previous rabies records to discuss whether vaccination is appropriate and what schedule can be arranged. Possible exposures must use the urgent medical pathway above.
Southall Travel Vaccination Clinic is within Puri Pharmacy Southall, 39 Western Road, UB2 5HE. Our Hillingdon branch is at 165 Ryefield Avenue, UB10 9DA.
The consultation payment is £25 per person, paid at booking. It is credited once against vaccinations under your agreed plan, including at a later appointment. If you receive the consultation and do not proceed with vaccination, the £25 pays for the consultation.
Book a pre-travel health consultation
About Abhi
Abhimanyu Kochhar is a GPhC-registered pharmacist and yellow fever vaccination pharmacist. He manages Puri Pharmacy’s Southall branch and leads the travel vaccination service across Southall and Hillingdon, both designated yellow fever vaccination centres.
Sources and further reading
Sources checked: 6 October 2026. General information, not an individual treatment plan. Guidance and travel requirements can change; obtain advice for your own health and itinerary.
