A mother takes her young child to an urgent care clinic requesting "the shot you get to prevent rabies," as her son was bitten by a wild raccoon. What is the appropriate response by the nurse?

Question

1. "Care of a bite victim includes a series of immunizations on the day of exposure and on days 3, 7, 14, and 28 after exposure."
2. "The animal needs to be quarantined first, to determine if it has rabies, before immunizations are started."
3. "Your child will need penicillin because the wound can easily become infected."
4. "Wait a week to see if your child develops any symptoms. Then the immunization will be given."

Answer 1

Correct Answer: 1
Rabies is carried by wild and domestic animals, including raccoons. Rabies is almost always fatal; therefore treatment of bite victims should be considered an emergency. Immunizations are given on the day of exposure and on days 3, 7, 14, and 28 after exposure. Immunizations should be initiated even if it is not known if the animal was infected, but the animal should be quarantined for 7–10 days to detect rabies manifestations. The wound should be thoroughly cleansed and flushed to remove any animal saliva and dilute viral exposure. Penicillin is not used to treat the wound.