Assessing the safety of post-exposure rabies immunization in pregnancy

Fourteen pregnant women who received rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) at the anti-rabies clinic (ARC) of Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) were followed up for assessing the safety of modern rabies vaccines and equine rabies immunoglobulin (ERIG) in pregnancy. The women were in the age range of 18-28 years, mostly from urban area (64%) and exposed to suspect rabid dogs (86%). They had received purified vero cell rabies vaccine (Verorab = 8 and Abhayrab = 4), purified chick embryo cell vaccine (Rabipur = 2) by Essen regimen; and equine rabies immunoglobulin (Equirab = 7 and Pasteur anti-rabies serum = 1). None of the pregnant women reported any adverse events to either vaccine or equine rabies immunoglobulin. All had safe vaginal deliveries and in all cases both the mother and the child were found to be healthy and normal.