Bites from the same dog,different outcomes for two patients:a case report

Background:Rabies is a serious reemerging zoonosis in China.At present human rabies cases are primarily diagnosed based on clinical presentation.Case presentation:In August 2012,a woman and her son were attacked by a stray dog in Henan,China.The son received rabies postexposure prophylaxis(wound treatment followed by vaccine,no immunoglobulin),however,the mother did not.Rabies infection was subsequently laboratory confirmed in the mother and she died in December;her son is alive and healthy after 2 years of follow-up.Conclusion:This report documents that the timely utilization of postexposure prophylaxis is a required measure in preventing rabies after exposure to an animal bite.