What Is RabAvert? Uses, Dosage, and What You Need to Know in 2026

RabAvert is an FDA-approved rabies vaccine that protects against one of the most deadly diseases known to medicine. Whether you've been bitten by a potentially rabid animal, are planning international travel to a high-risk region, or work with animals or in a laboratory setting, understanding RabAvert — what it is, how it works, and who needs it — is essential.

What Is RabAvert?

RabAvert is the brand name for rabies vaccine (purified chick embryo cell vaccine, or PCECV). It is manufactured by Bavarian Nordic, a Danish biotechnology company that acquired the global rights to RabAvert from GSK in 2020. RabAvert is one of only two FDA-approved human rabies vaccines available in the United States; the other is Imovax (human diploid cell vaccine, or HDCV), manufactured by Sanofi Pasteur.

The vaccine is a sterile, freeze-dried preparation. It contains inactivated rabies virus grown in purified primary cultures of chicken fibroblast cells. The virus strain used is the Flury Low Egg Passage (LEP) strain, which is then inactivated with beta-propiolactone, making it incapable of causing infection. Before injection, the freeze-dried powder is reconstituted with sterile diluent.

What Is RabAvert Used For?

RabAvert has two distinct uses:

• Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP): Vaccination before potential exposure to rabies. Recommended for people at ongoing risk: veterinarians, animal handlers, wildlife biologists, virology lab workers, spelunkers (cave explorers), and international travelers to rabies-endemic areas.
• Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP): Vaccination after a suspected or confirmed rabies exposure (animal bite, scratch, mucous membrane contact with saliva). PEP is considered medically urgent — it must begin as soon as possible after exposure.

RabAvert is FDA-approved for all age groups, including infants and children.

RabAvert Dosage and Schedule

All doses of RabAvert are 1.0 mL, given as an intramuscular (IM) injection — into the deltoid muscle of the upper arm for adults and the anterolateral thigh for infants and small children.

• Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) primary series: 2 doses (per updated CDC/ACIP 2022 guidance for healthy individuals) on Days 0 and 7. The older RabAvert package insert describes a 3-dose series on Days 0, 7, and 21 or 28. Check with your provider for current CDC guidance.
• PrEP booster doses: For those at frequent risk (e.g., veterinarians, wildlife biologists), serology testing every 2 years; booster given if titer falls below adequate level. Lab workers with frequent virus exposure: serology every 6 months.
• Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) — unvaccinated: 5 doses on Days 0, 3, 7, 14, and 28. HRIG (Human Rabies Immune Globulin, 20 IU/kg) is administered on Day 0 as well.
• PEP — previously vaccinated: 2 doses on Days 0 and 3. No HRIG is needed.

What Is Rabies and Why Is Prevention So Critical?

Rabies is a viral disease caused by the Lyssavirus, transmitted primarily through the saliva of an infected mammal — most often through a bite or scratch. Once the virus enters the body, it travels along nerve pathways toward the brain. The incubation period is typically 20–60 days but can range from 5 days to several years.

Once clinical symptoms of rabies appear (encephalitis, hydrophobia, aerophobia, agitation), survival is extremely rare. This is why modern prophylaxis is so critical — when administered correctly and promptly, it is nearly 100% effective at preventing the disease. Human deaths from rabies in the U.S. have fallen to 1–2 per year, primarily in people who did not recognize an exposure or did not seek timely treatment.

Who Needs RabAvert?

You should consider RabAvert if any of the following apply:

• You've been bitten or scratched by a wild animal (bat, raccoon, fox, skunk, coyote) or an unvaccinated domestic animal
• You woke up and found a bat in your room (bat bites may not be visible but are still considered a potential exposure)
• You're traveling to a rabies-endemic country (India, Southeast Asia, Central/South America, sub-Saharan Africa)
• You work with animals as a veterinarian, animal control officer, wildlife biologist, or shelter worker
• You work with live rabies virus in a research or production laboratory

How Is RabAvert Different from the Rabies Vaccine in Old Movies?

The infamous 21 stomach injections of old belong to the nerve tissue vaccines used in the early 20th century. Modern vaccines like RabAvert are given as standard intramuscular shots in the arm. They are far less painful, more effective, and require fewer doses. Rabies injections are no longer given in the stomach.

For a deeper look at how RabAvert prevents rabies at the biological level, see: How Does RabAvert Work? Mechanism of Action Explained.

If you need RabAvert and are having trouble finding it, medfinder can identify which clinics near you currently have it in stock.