Abstract
Rabies is one of the most feared human diseases as it is almost uniformly fatal once clinical symptoms set in. The majority of deaths were due to a lack of rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP). We review the profile of travellers to Southeast Asia (SEA) seeking rabies PEP in Singapore General Hospital (SGH). Thirty-seven patients visited our travel clinic for rabies PEP from Dec 2010 to Dec 2013. Their mean age was 27.0 years. Twenty-four (65%) received rabies PEP within 24 hours of exposure. Rabies immunoglobulin (RIG) was indicated in 28 cases (76%) but only half were administered; two-thirds were given in our clinic. Only two received rabies pre-exposure prophylaxis and both were non-residents. There is an urgent need to increase the awareness of potential rabies infection amongst Asian travellers.