I kept my foot in a dog's water bowl, and there is a cut on my finger. Will I get rabies?

Question

Hi doctor,

Can one get rabies through water, milk, or food bowl of street dogs? My foot hit that bowl, and water from that bowl fell on my foot. I have a minor cut on my little finger. Does that pose a risk of getting infected through that bowl of water? Should I get to be vaccinated ASAP, or should I not worry about it? Kindly give your opinion.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I understand your concern and will definitely help you regarding it. As per the CDC (center of disease control and prevention), the most common mode of rabies virus transmission is through the bite and virus-containing saliva of an infected host. Though transmission has been rarely documented via other routes such as contamination of mucous membranes (i.e., eyes, nose, mouth), aerosol transmission, and corneal transplants, transmission through contaminated water would be highly unlikely. The virus will not survive for long in the water, also even if present, the virus will be highly diluted to cause an infection.

You need not worry about this.

I hope this was helpful.