Journal of Vaccines & Vaccination

Abstract

A Serological Study in Response to People at Occupational Risk of Rabies Virus Exposure in Nepal

Ganesh Raj Pant, Arjun Raj Pant, Bol Raj Acharya, Manish Man Shrestha, Vivek Pant, Nayana Pant and Dwij Raj Bhatta

A serological study to know the antibody titer against rabies virus in human beings, who are at occupational risk, was conducted in Nepal in 2014. A total 44 serum samples were collected out of which 21 samples were collected from medical professionals (working at Sukraraj Tropical Hospital) and 23 were collected from veterinary professionals (working at Central Veterinary Hospital, Central Veterinary Laboratory and Rabies Vaccine Production Laboratory) in Kathmandu. Among the 44 samples, 4 were collected from unvaccinated persons. The other 40 people sampled were vaccinated with inactivated rabies vaccine. All samples were subjected to the Rabies Fluorescent Focus Inhibition Test (RFFIT) test at Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, USA. The antibody level of 7 persons was found to be less than the WHO recommended titer of 0.5 IU/ml. Six medical professionals and one veterinary professional had a low rabies virus neutralizing antibody titer. The 4 samples collected from unvaccinated persons, and 3 collected from vaccinated persons had a titer below 0.5 IU/ml. This study shows that medical and veterinary professionals who are responsible to nurse or handle rabies patients, rabid animals or rabies virus are still at high risk. This underscores the importance of recommendations for regular serological testing of occupationally exposed individuals and vaccinating booster dose when necessary.