Rabies pre-exposure vaccination of children with purified chick embryo cell vaccine (PCECV)

Abstract

Human rabies, mainly transmitted by dog bites, remains a major public health problem in developing countries. In Asian countries, such as India or the Philippines, where large free-ranging dog populations exist, the human death toll stays high. Children under the age of 15 y are at particular risk, representing up to half of the dog bite victims. While pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is commonly used in travelers from developed countries visiting areas of high endemicity, rabies vaccination is rarely used in highly endemic countries in contrast to post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP).

Purified Chick Embryo Cell Vaccine (PCECV, Rabipur®/RabAvert®, Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics) is approved for pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis, either by the intramuscular route, or—where registered—by the intradermal route of administration. In more than 25 y of use, PCECV has been widely used for PrEP in children. This review summarizes the pediatric pre-exposure clinical trials using PCECV. In total, PCECV has been administered to more than 1,200 children in clinical trials, from toddlers to those in elementary school, using intramuscular and intradermal schedules, demonstrating safety and immunogenicity.

PrEP as part of routine pediatric vaccination programs may have a major role to play in human rabies prevention. Extensive clinical experience with PCECV supports intramuscular and intradermal PrEP in children as one pillar of human rabies prevention in developing countries.

Keywords: :

• rabies
• vaccine
• pre-exposure prophylaxis
• children
• PCECV

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the investigators of the studies for their commitment conducting the clinical trials and Dr Alexandra Giesen, Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics, Global Medical Affairs, and Dr Charles E. Rupprecht, Global Alliance for Rabies Control, for critical review of the manuscript.

Conflict of interest

The authors are employees of Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics, manufacturer of PCECV.