Rabies Vaccine for Travel

Topic Overview

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) gives this advice for travelers.

• The rabies vaccine is a three-shot series. Make sure to schedule the first shot at least 21 days before your trip.
• If you want the rabies vaccine and will also be taking mefloquine or chloroquine to prevent malaria, finish your series of rabies vaccines before you start to take those other medicines. They could interfere with the antibody response to the rabies vaccine. (But you can get the postexposure rabies vaccine at the same time as the malaria drugs without any problem.)