NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Many of the rabies shots given to people potentially exposed through contact with animals may be unnecessary, a study by the Florida Department of Health suggests.

Officials found that over two summers, nearly one quarter of the possible rabies cases they studied were treated unnecessarily with post-exposure rabies shots. Treatment was deemed unnecessary for a variety of reasons--including cases where the animal involved had tested negative for rabies after death or was available for observation to detect rabies symptoms.

Better animal control and communication between health professionals and animal-control agencies could cut the number of unnecessary rabies shots, Lisa Conti and her colleagues report in the February issue of the Southern Medical Journal.

Rabies is a deadly viral infection of the central nervous system most commonly found in raccoons, skunks and bats. Household pets such as dogs and cats can be infected as well, although vaccination has gone a long way in controlling pet rabies in the US.

The virus is usually transmitted to humans through a bite from a rabid animal. But illness is preventable through post-exposure rabies vaccination, which involves a series of shots given over about one month.

Such treatment, along with animal control and pet vaccination, has made human rabies rare in the US. According to Conti's team, no human case has been reported in Florida since 1947.

However, they point out, Florida's health department spent $2.5 million in 1997 and 1998 on post-exposure rabies vaccine. Cutting down on unnecessary treatment could lower these costs, the researchers report.

Conti and her colleagues looked at 160 cases in 15 Florida counties in which patients received post-exposure rabies shots provided by state repositories. They deemed 22% of these treatments to be unnecessary.

Pets were involved in a majority of all these potential rabies exposures, according to the report. The researchers point out that better control of stray dogs and cats and the enforcement of leash laws would cut down on human rabies scares in the first place.

And when there is possible exposure, they write, a "stronger network" among doctors, health departments and animal-control agencies could allow patients' rabies shots to be delayed while suspect animals are tested or observed.

SOURCE: Southern Medical Journal 2002;95:225-230.

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