Postexposure rabies vaccination during pregnancy: experience with 21 patients

Twenty-one pregnant rabies exposed patients received postexposure vaccination using purified Vero cell rabies vaccine. Twelve of these with severe exposures were also given equine rabies immune globulin. Adverse reactions were mild, transient and required no treatment. Fifteen per cent of the patients reported side-effects such as myalgia, malaise, erythema and swelling at injection sites, urticarial rashes, and mild regional lymphadenopathy. The vaccine series was completed in all cases and none of the mothers or infants developed rabies after one year of follow-up. No congenital malformations were detected. All infants were well after one year. One patient experienced a spontaneous abortion.