Ethical clarity in clinical approaches to rabies prevention in re-exposure cases

Abstract

The lack of adherence to the recommended rabies post­exposure prophylaxis guidelines by physicians during encounters with cases of animal bite re­exposure results in enormous avoidable economic costs, wastage of scarce resources, and is a significant but neglected health concern. The challenges encountered in managing animal bite re­exposure cases arise from deficiencies in the existing health system reflect an overlooked and largely unreported ethical dilemma. Healthcare providers in managing the ethical demands arising from this situation generally tend to uphold the principle of non­maleficence while overlooking the claims of distributive justice and patient autonomy.