Travel Clinic
Rabies Vaccination
Pre-travel rabies protection for remote trips, long stays and anyone likely to be around animals.
- Doses
- Three dose course
- Schedule
- Accelerated option available
- Who it is for
- All ages
- When to book
- Book 6 weeks ahead
About this service
Rabies is almost always fatal once symptoms appear, but it is entirely preventable if treated promptly after exposure. For travellers heading somewhere remote, staying a long time, or likely to be around animals, pre-exposure rabies vaccination at our Berkeley travel clinic is a sensible precaution, and we offer both standard and accelerated schedules to fit your departure date.
We take the time to understand your destination, how far you will be from reliable medical care and what you will be doing, because this is what determines whether pre-exposure vaccination is appropriate for you. We welcome travellers from Berkeley, Dursley, Cam, Wotton-under-Edge and across Gloucestershire, and we can usually plan this alongside your other travel vaccinations.
What rabies is and how the vaccine helps
Rabies is a virus carried in the saliva of infected mammals, most often dogs, but also bats, cats and monkeys, and it is passed on through a bite, a scratch or a lick on broken skin or the eyes, nose or mouth. Once symptoms appear rabies is almost always fatal, but it is entirely preventable if treated promptly after exposure.
The pre-exposure course is three doses on days zero, seven and either 21 or 28, and an accelerated schedule of days zero, three and seven can be used for adults where time is short. Pre-exposure vaccination does not remove the need for medical treatment after a bite, but it greatly simplifies it, because you then need only two further doses and you do not need rabies immunoglobulin, which is expensive and often unavailable in the countries where it is most needed. There is no upper or lower age limit, and boosters may be advised for people at continued occupational risk.
Who this service is for
Suitable for
- Travellers going more than 24 hours from reliable medical care
- Long stay travellers, volunteers and expatriates
- Cyclists, runners and trekkers, who are more likely to be approached by dogs
- People working with or handling animals, including veterinary and conservation work
- Families with young children, who are more likely to touch animals and less likely to report a lick or scratch
- Travellers to South and South East Asia, Africa and parts of Latin America
Not suitable for
- Previous severe allergic reaction to this vaccine or its ingredients
- Anyone currently unwell with a high temperature, who should wait
- Anyone who has already been bitten or scratched, who needs urgent post-exposure treatment rather than routine pre-exposure vaccination
How it works
A simple, consistent process for every service at Berkeley Pharmacy.
Get in touch
Call us or use our contact form to arrange a consultation.
Consultation
A private, face-to-face appointment with our pharmacist in our Berkeley consultation room.
Clinical assessment
We review your medical history and confirm whether the service is suitable for you.
Treatment or referral
If it is suitable we treat you the same day; if not, we explain why and advise on the best next step.
What to expect at your appointment
Your appointment begins with a full travel health risk assessment covering destination, duration, activities and distance from medical care, and a clear comparison of the standard and accelerated schedules against your departure date.
- The injection is given into your upper arm
- Your remaining appointments are booked before you leave the pharmacy
- Written first aid instructions for what to do if you are bitten
- A vaccination record and, with your consent, a note to your GP
Aftercare and safety
A sore arm, headache and tiredness for a day or two are the usual effects and settle on their own. If you are bitten, scratched or licked on broken skin by any mammal, wash the wound thoroughly with soap and running water for at least 15 minutes, apply an antiseptic such as iodine or alcohol, and get medical help the same day wherever you are, even if you have been vaccinated. Do not wait until you get home.
- Keep your vaccination record with your passport so any treating clinician knows what you have had
- Contact us if you need help arranging the remaining doses
- Call us on 01453 810316 if you have questions before you travel
Frequently asked questions
Do I still need treatment after a bite if I have had the rabies vaccine?
Yes. Pre-exposure vaccination does not remove the need for medical treatment after a bite, but it greatly simplifies it, because you then need only two further doses and you do not need rabies immunoglobulin, which is expensive and often unavailable in the countries where it is most needed.
How many doses are in the pre-exposure course?
The standard pre-exposure course is three doses on days zero, seven and either 21 or 28. We book your remaining appointments before you leave the pharmacy so the course fits your departure date.
Is there an accelerated rabies course?
Yes. An accelerated schedule of days zero, three and seven can be used for adults where time is short. We compare the standard and accelerated schedules against your departure date and advise which fits best.
What should I do immediately if an animal bites or scratches me abroad?
Wash the wound thoroughly with soap and running water for at least 15 minutes, apply an antiseptic such as iodine or alcohol, and get medical help the same day wherever you are, even if you have been vaccinated. Do not wait until you get home, and keep your vaccination record with your passport so the treating clinician knows what you have had.
Which countries carry a rabies risk?
Rabies is found in South and South East Asia, Africa and parts of Latin America, and is most often carried by dogs but also bats, cats and monkeys. We will talk through the risk for your specific destinations and activities as part of your assessment.
Can children have the rabies vaccine?
Yes, there is no upper or lower age limit. Families with young children are often encouraged to consider pre-exposure vaccination, because children are more likely to touch animals and less likely to report a lick or scratch.
How we can supply treatment without a GP appointment
Some treatments at Berkeley Pharmacy are supplied under a Patient Group Direction, or PGD – a written instruction, signed by a doctor and a pharmacist, that legally allows our trained pharmacists to supply and administer specified medicines to people who meet defined clinical criteria, without a prescription from your GP. If you do not meet the criteria set out in the PGD we cannot supply the treatment, and we will explain why and advise you on the best next step. Our pharmacists also work as independent prescribers where that is appropriate.
Serving Berkeley and the surrounding Gloucestershire villages
Berkeley Pharmacy is on Market Place in the centre of Berkeley, with easy access from junctions 13 and 14 of the M5. We welcome patients from Berkeley, Sharpness, Newport, Berkeley Heath, Alkington, Ham, Stone and Rockhampton, and we are a short drive from Cam, Dursley, Slimbridge, Cambridge, Falfield, Charfield, Tortworth, Cromhall, Oldbury-on-Severn, Wotton-under-Edge, Thornbury, Frampton on Severn and Stonehouse. Patients also travel to us from Stroud, Nailsworth, Yate, Chipping Sodbury, Tetbury and Gloucester.
Safe, regulated care from your local pharmacy team
- Berkeley Pharmacy is registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council. You can check any pharmacy or pharmacist on the GPhC register at pharmacyregulation.org.
- Every consultation is face to face and private, in our dedicated consultation room – not an online questionnaire.
- Serving the Berkeley community for over 25 years.
- This service does not replace care from your GP. With your consent we will inform your GP of any treatment provided. If you are unwell, have new or worsening symptoms, or need urgent care, contact your GP or NHS 111, and in an emergency call 999.
- If you experience a side effect from any medicine you can report it through the MHRA Yellow Card scheme at yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk.
Page last reviewed: September 2026. Next review due: September 2027.
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Find out more Travel ClinicTick-borne Encephalitis Vaccination
For walking, camping and cycling holidays in the forests of central, eastern and northern Europe.
Find out more Travel ClinicHepatitis B Vaccination
Standard and accelerated hepatitis B courses for travellers, workers and anyone who wants the protection.
Find out moreSpeak to our pharmacy team about rabies vaccination
Visit us in Berkeley or get in touch to arrange a private consultation with our pharmacist.
Book a consultation Call 01453 810316
Address
14 Market Place, Berkeley, GL13 9BB
Opening hours
Mon–Fri 9am–6pm (closed 1–2pm)
Sat 9am–1pm
Sun Closed