1) The document establishes a procedure for delivering rabies post-exposure vaccination to hospitals treating individuals bitten by suspect rabid animals after normal business hours. 2) The county's public health services physician will determine if vaccination is needed and animal care will transport the vaccine to the designated location. 3) Animal care watch commanders are to notify the clinic veterinarian if a bite victim's doctor requests information on vaccination or if animal care investigates a bite involving certain species exhibiting abnormal behavior so the need for vaccination can be determined.

1. Number: 200.21
SUBJECT: AFTER HOURS POST EXPOSURE PROCEDURE Page: 1
Date: 3/29/96
Approved: Director’s signature pending Revised: 3/11/09
I. PURPOSE
To establish a uniform procedure for the control, issuance and delivery of Post-Exposure
Rabies Vaccination to a hospital or clinic where an individual whom has been bitten by a
suspect rabid animal is under treatment.
II. POLICY
Public Health Services’ on-call County Physician shall determine if a human bitten by a
suspect rabid animal shall undergo rabies treatment after normal business hours.
OC Animal Care shall transport the rabies vaccination to the designated location.
III. SCOPE
Applicable to Rabies Control Specialist staff, Field, and Veterinary Services.
IV. FORMS
Rabies Control Investigation Report (Animal Bite/Scratch Report) (F272-12.2001.4).
Rabies Post-Exposure Prophylactic Treatment Patient Information (F272-19.1362, Rev
4/93).
Rabies Post-Exposure Rabies Treatment Instructions, Dr. H. Meyers, HCA, CDC&E
(Rev 5/92).
Rabies Post-Exposure Vaccination Receipt (Public Health, Rev 4/92).
Emergency Telephone and Pager number list for County Veterinarian and Health Care
Agency On-Call Physician.
V. REFERENCES
California Health and Safety Code Section 121575 et seq.
California Code of Regulations, Title 17, Section 2606 et seq.
Orange County Codified Ordinance 4-1-62.
VI. DEFINITIONS

2. Number: 200.21
SUBJECT: AFTER HOURS POST EXPOSURE PROCEDURE Page: 2
Date: 3/29/96
Approved: Director’s signature pending Revised: 3/11/09
CDC/E – Centers for Disease Control/Epidemiology
VII. PROCEDURE
A. The OC Animal Care Watch Commander shall notify the Clinic Veterinarian
immediately, when any of the following event(s) occur after normal working
hours:
1. The Public Health Services on-call Physician contacts OC Animal care for
information concerning Post-Exposure Rabies Vaccination of an animal
bite/scratch victim.
2. An animal bite/scratch victim’s physician (or hospital authority) contacts
OC Animal Care requesting information concerning the advisability of
Post-Exposure Rabies Vaccination.
3. OC Animal Care personnel investigate an animal bite/scratch or other
exposure incident involving the following:
a. Bats, carnivores, opossums (or rodents, lagomorphs with unusual
circumstances, or distraught victim).
b. Wild or Domestic animals exhibiting neurological disease or
abnormal behavior such as convulsions, aggressiveness, paralysis
that cannot be ascribed to an observed accident (hit by car, etc.).
c. The wild animal is unavailable for a Rabies IFA Head Test.
B. Following notification, the Watch Commander shall contact the Public Health on-
call Physician by contacting Control One at (714) 628-7008. The on-call
Physician shall decide on the need for Post-Exposure Rabies Vaccination and
coordinate with victim and treating physician.
C. If the decision to vaccinate the victim has been made and the vaccination is not
immediately available to the victim’s physician, the following procedure will be
followed:
1. The on-call Physician shall confer with the Watch Commander and
arrange to have Post-Exposure Rabies Vaccine transported to a local
medical facility. OC Animal Care shall obtain vaccines from the rabies
labeled refrigerator. The following documents, which are located in the
Rabies Control folder in dispatch are to accompany the vaccine:

3. Number: 200.21
SUBJECT: AFTER HOURS POST EXPOSURE PROCEDURE Page: 3
Date: 3/29/96
Approved: Director’s signature pending Revised: 3/11/09
a. Rabies Post-Exposure Rabies Treatment Instructions, Dr. H.
Meyers, HCA, CDC&E (Rev 1/04)
b. Rabies Post-Exposure Prophylactic Treatment Patient Information
Sheet (F272-19.1362, Rev 6/02)
c. Rabies Post-Exposure Vaccination Receipt (Public Health, Rev
8/02)
2. The Watch Commander shall arrange to have the vaccines delivered to the
requesting physician and initiate a receipt to be signed only by the
physician. The receipt shall be returned to the Rabies Control Specialist.
D. In the event the Clinic Veterinarian or Rabies Control Office Specialist is
unavailable, the Public Health Services on-call Physician shall be contacted
through Communications Control One.