In the post-exposure prophylaxis protocol for rabies following a category III exposure (deep laceration from a dog of unknown vaccination status), the ESSEN intramuscular regimen consists of:

• A Four doses on days 0, 3, 7, 14
• B Two doses on days 0 and 3 only
• C Five doses on days 0, 3, 7, 14, 28 ✓
• D Four doses on days 0, 7, 14, 28

Explanation

The classical Essen intramuscular (IM) regimen for rabies PEP consists of five doses of cell-culture vaccine (1 mL IM in deltoid) on days 0, 3, 7, 14, and 28, along with rabies immunoglobulin (RIG) infiltrated at the wound site on day 0 for category III exposures. The updated WHO 2018 schedule for immunocompetent individuals allows a four-dose IM regimen (days 0, 3, 7, 14), but the five-dose Essen schedule remains the classical reference for NEET PG.

Reference: Ananthanarayan & Paniker's Textbook of Microbiology, 11th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.