Cost of Rabies Prevention

Paper money from different countries

The estimated public health expenditures on rabies disease diagnostics, prevention, and control in the US is $245 to $510 million annually. This estimate is based on available data on costs associated with the vaccination of companion animals (dogs and cats), national rabies diagnostic testing, and for biologics for rabies postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PreEP). However, the total expenditures on rabies accounting for associated healthcare costs, animal control measures, and time lost from work is much greater.

About 55,000 Americans get PEP each year. When rabies becomes common in wildlife in a region, the number of PEP treatments in that area increases. Although the cost varies (typically from about $1,200 to $6,500), a course of rabies immune globulin and four doses of vaccine given over a two-week period averages about $3,800, not including costs for hospital treatment or wound care. The cost per human life saved from rabies ranges from approximately $10,000 to $100 million, depending on the nature of the exposure and the probability of rabies in a region