Anti rabies vaccine after a bite: schedule, cost and where to get it free

The anti-rabies vaccine (in Filipino, often bakuna kontra rabies) teaches your body to make its own protection (antibodies) against the rabies virus.

Most people get it after a bite or scratch. This is called post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP). Some people get it before any bite (see the pre-exposure vaccine).

PEP has three parts:

1. Washing the wound well with soap and water.
2. A course of rabies vaccine, given over several visits.
3. Rabies immunoglobulin (RIG) for serious exposures. RIG gives ready-made antibodies that protect you right away, while the vaccine starts to work. It is put into the wound.

The bite center may also give a tetanus shot or anti-tetanus serum. Both are part of the PhilHealth bite package.

Rabies is a virus that attacks the brain and nerves. It spreads through the saliva (laway) of an infected animal, mostly by bites and scratches. Dogs cause about 99% of human rabies cases, but cats and other mammals can carry it too.

Once symptoms start, rabies is almost always fatal. But the vaccine, given early and completed, stops the virus before it reaches the brain.

Rabies is still a real danger in the Philippines:

• The DOH recorded 426 human rabies cases in 2024, and every one of them died.
• Almost half (45%) were bitten by a pet, and for more than half of those pets, no one knew if they had been vaccinated.
• In a 2017 study at six Philippine bite centers, almost half (45%) of the patients were children under 15.

Signs usually appear 2 to 3 months after the bite, but it can take from one week to a year. They start with fever and tingling or pain at the bite, then fear of water or of moving air, confusion and paralysis. By then the vaccine can no longer help. In one Philippine study, 92% of people who died of rabies had not gone for the vaccine after their bite.

1. Wash the wound right away with soap and running water for at least 15 minutes.
2. Go to an animal bite treatment center the same day, even if the wound looks small. Do not wait for the animal to get sick.
3. Tell the staff what happened: the animal, if it is a pet or a stray, if it had rabies shots, and where and when you were hurt. They decide your exposure category (see the three categories).
4. Get your first shot. This visit is day 0. You may also get RIG and a tetanus shot.
5. Keep your vaccination card and bring it to every visit. It shows your shots and return dates.
6. Watch the animal for 14 days if it is a dog or cat you can observe safely. Tell the center right away if it gets sick, dies or goes missing. If it dies, do not handle the body with bare hands; the center can tell you whether the animal can be tested.

Bring a valid ID and your PhilHealth PIN. For a deep or heavily bleeding wound, go to a hospital emergency room.

Bite centers sort each exposure into one of three categories (DOH and WHO):

• Category I: touching or feeding an animal, or a lick on unbroken skin. No vaccine is needed. Wash the skin.
• Category II: nibbling of bare skin, or a small scratch or graze without bleeding. You need the vaccine right away.
• Category III: bites or scratches that break the skin, licks on broken skin, saliva in the eyes or mouth, or contact with bats. You need the vaccine and RIG.

In the Philippines, the DOH chart also counts these as Category III:

• any exposure on the head or neck, even a small scratch
• handling the body of an infected animal, or eating its raw meat

If no one is sure what happened, for example when a small child cannot explain, a touch or lick is treated as Category II. Bites from rats, mice and rabbits are not known to spread rabies, but still wash them and have any bite checked.

Only a trained health worker should decide your category.

The anti-rabies vaccine is not a single shot. It is a series of visits counted from your first visit (day 0). Government bite centers in the Philippines usually give it into the skin (intradermal). A common schedule is day 0, day 3 and day 7, and some people also return on day 28. Your bite center sets your exact dates and writes them on your card.

• Come on the exact dates. If you miss one, go back as soon as you can.
• The animal's health can change the plan. If the dog or cat is still healthy after 14 days, the center may shorten your course.
• If you had the full vaccine before, a new bite still needs a visit. You usually need only a short booster course and no RIG.

The 2017 study at Philippine bite centers found that about 1 in 5 patients did not finish, most often because they had no time to go back. Set reminders on your phone.

Animal bite treatment centers (ABTCs) are government clinics certified by the DOH to care for animal bites. Private clinics doing the same work are often called animal bite centers.

ABTCs are found in government hospitals, rural health units (RHUs) and provincial or city health offices. By 2018 there were more than 500 ABTCs across the country, and in 2025 PhilHealth said more than 700 facilities were accredited for its animal bite package.

Ask about clinic days and hours before you go, since they differ from place to place. Your barangay health worker knows the nearest one.

Find a health center near you, find a hospital, or ask our free care navigator.

At government bite centers, the vaccine is meant to be free: since 2016 the government has aimed to give a full course free to everyone who needs it. Centers may charge for supplies such as syringes, and for RIG or vaccine when free stock runs out. In the 2017 study of six centers, average spending ranged from about ₱260 to ₱1,780 per patient, depending on the center and whether free vaccine and RIG were in stock. Most of it went on fares, meals and lost pay.

PhilHealth's Animal Bite Treatment (ABT) package. As of March 2025, PhilHealth pays ₱5,850 per case, up from ₱3,000, to accredited bite centers for its members and their dependents. It covers:

• rabies vaccine and RIG
• wound care, tetanus vaccine and anti-tetanus serum
• antibiotics and supplies such as syringes, alcohol and antiseptics

Under the original 2012 rules, the package is for serious exposures (Category III, which includes all exposures on the head and neck) and does not cover the pre-exposure vaccine. Ask the center if your case is covered, and bring your PhilHealth PIN.

Private animal bite centers set their own prices. Before your first shot, ask the price of the whole course and whether they accept the PhilHealth ABT package.

If a hospital bill is too big, see our Malasakit Center guide or what PhilHealth covers.

Most side effects are mild and pass quickly: pain or swelling where the shot was given, headache, fever, vomiting or an itchy rash (hives). A severe allergic reaction is very rare.

Many Philippine bite centers use RIG made from horses (equine RIG). The staff may do a small skin test first.

Almost everyone can get the rabies vaccine, including babies, children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, and people with weak immune systems. Tell the staff if you ever had a serious reaction to a vaccine, or a severe allergy to eggs or antibiotics.

No one knows whether a fake vaccine works or what is in it, which can be deadly after a real exposure. In 2026 the FDA Philippines warned the public about several fake or unregistered rabies products, including:

• a fake Vaxirab N rabies vaccine (October 2026). Real Vaxirab N is also sold, so the box alone may not tell you.
• a fake Equirab anti-rabies serum, a type of equine RIG (October 2026).
• an unregistered rabies vaccine sold without FDA approval (July 2026).

Get your shots only at a DOH-certified bite center, a hospital or a licensed clinic. Do not buy rabies vaccine or RIG online or from social media sellers. If the center asks you to buy the vaccine or RIG yourself, buy only from an FDA-licensed drugstore, keep it sealed, and ask the center how to carry and store it until your visit. Ask that your card shows the vaccine name and batch (lot) number.

Families have many ways of caring for a bite, but only the vaccine can stop rabies.

• Going to a tandok or albularyo. In the 2017 study, about a third of bite victims who did not go to a bite center went to a tandok instead. Herbal remedies, such as the "rabies tree" used in parts of Palawan, have not been shown to prevent rabies. If you see a healer, go to the bite center too, the same day.
• Making the wound bleed or putting herbs on it. There is no proof this helps. The first aid WHO recommends is washing with soap and running water for at least 15 minutes.
• "Let's watch the dog first." Watching the animal for 14 days helps, but start the vaccine while you watch.
• "It's only a puppy." Puppies can carry rabies too. Still get checked.

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is the vaccine given before any bite. WHO recommends it for people whose work brings them close to the virus or to animals that may have rabies, such as lab and animal control staff, and for people living in remote high-risk areas far from a bite center.

PrEP does not replace care after a bite. If you get bitten, still wash the wound and go to a bite center the same day. You will need fewer visits, and usually no RIG. The PhilHealth bite package does not pay for PrEP, so ask your health office or a private clinic about it.

The best way to protect people is to stop rabies in dogs.

• Vaccinate your dogs and cats, including puppies, and keep their records. WHO calls mass dog vaccination the most cost-effective way to protect people. Ask your barangay about pet vaccination drives.
• Keep pets at home or on a leash, so they do not roam or fight with stray animals.
• Stay away from stray and wild animals, even if they look healthy. An animal with rabies may be aggressive, or tired and weak.
• Teach children not to tease dogs, and to tell an adult about any bite, scratch or lick.

Killing stray dogs does not control rabies. Vaccinating them does.

Unsure about a bite? Ask a nurse or book a call. For your family's other vaccines, see our immunization schedule guide.