Pre-exposure prophylaxis may be offered to high risk group like laboratory staff handling the virus and infected material, clinicians and para-medicals attending to hydrophobia cases, veterinarians, animal handlers and catchers, wildlife wardens, quarantine officers and travellers from rabies free areas to rabies endemic areas. Pre-exposure immunization should be three full IM dose of TCV given on day 0, 7 and 28 or 0, 28 and 56 followed by booster at one year and then a booster every three years.

Laboratory staff and others at high continuing risk of exposure should have their neutralizing antibody titres checked every 6 months. If it is less than 0.5 i.u./ml a booster dose of vaccine should be given. Such individuals on getting exposed to rabies virus after successful pre-exposure immunization require only two booster injections of vaccine given on days 0 and 3 without any anti rabies serum.