Monkey Bite or Scratch? Why It Counts as High Risk
Monkey troops are part of daily life in Greater Noida — moving through residential sectors, around Knowledge Park, temples and markets, and along the expressway-side societies. A monkey bite or scratch is managed differently from a pet-dog bite, because a monkey is a wild animal that cannot be observed. This page explains what that means for you and what to do today. Dr. Manuj Sondhi (MRCP UK, MD, DNB), Consultant Physician with a Fellowship in Infectious Diseases & HIV, runs the animal-bite service at Nirvana Clinic, opposite Delta-1 Metro.
The short version: A monkey cannot be watched for 10 days the way a pet dog can, so any monkey bite or scratch that breaks the skin is treated as a Category III exposure: wash the wound under running water with soap for 15 minutes, come in for the first vaccine dose today, and get rabies immunoglobulin (RIG) at a nearby centre the same day. Even a graze that does not bleed needs the full 5-dose vaccine course. If you have completed a rabies vaccine course before, two booster doses are enough.
Not sure which category your bite is? Use the Animal Bite Navigator — five questions, one clear next step.
Why a Monkey Exposure Is Managed Differently From a Pet Dog
Rabies prevention follows the same national guidelines whatever the animal. What changes with a monkey is the amount of uncertainty — and uncertainty is managed by doing more, not less.
The animal cannot be observed
With a pet dog or cat that stays healthy for 10 days, a doctor may shorten the vaccine course. A monkey vanishes into the troop within seconds. There is no observation, so the full course is always completed and RIG is never skipped for a Category III wound.
Snatches leave several wounds
A monkey grabbing a food packet or a bag typically leaves two or three scratches and sometimes a bite. Every break in the skin counts, and claw scratches can carry saliva, so they are categorised by the same rules as bites.
Children’s faces and hands
Children on terraces and balconies are at monkey height, and monkeys go for whatever the child is holding. Face, head and hand wounds are close to nerves the virus travels along, which shortens the time to illness and makes RIG on day 0 more urgent.
Deep, contaminated bites
Monkey teeth cause puncture wounds that look small on the surface and go deep, contaminated with mouth bacteria. Wound infection and tetanus protection are assessed at the same visit as rabies prevention.
What Happened to Your Skin Decides the Category
The category depends on what the monkey did to your skin, not on how the monkey looked or behaved. Use the table to see where you stand, then let the doctor confirm it — when a scratch is hard to grade, the higher category is used.
| What happened | Category | What you need |
|---|---|---|
| The monkey touched, grabbed or climbed on you; the skin is not broken; no lick on a cut or wound | I | Wash the area with soap and water. No vaccine. Check carefully for any scratch you may have missed, especially on a child. |
| A scratch or graze from claws or teeth with no bleeding; nibbling of uncovered skin | II | 15-minute wound wash and the full 5-dose vaccine course. RIG is added if your immunity is weakened by illness or medicines. |
| Any bite; any scratch that bleeds; a lick on broken skin or an existing cut; saliva in the eye, nose or mouth | III | 15-minute wound wash, RIG in and around the wound (ideally today), and the full 5-dose vaccine course. |
Rodent bites (rats, mice, squirrels) are not considered a rabies risk under Indian guidelines. Monkeys are. See the full rabies vaccine schedule and who needs RIG and when.
What to Do in the Moment
During the encounter
- Do not fight the monkey and do not run — both provoke a chase.
- Do not stare into its eyes; monkeys read a direct stare as a threat.
- Drop the food, bag or bottle it wants. It will usually take it and go.
- Back away slowly, body turned slightly sideways, and get behind a door.
- Cover your face and a child’s face with your arms if it lunges.
Immediately afterwards
- Wash every wound — including scratches that look trivial — under running tap water with soap for a full 15 minutes.
- Apply povidone-iodine or spirit after washing.
- Do not apply turmeric, chilli, lime, oil, coffee powder or any home remedy, and do not press, squeeze, bandage tightly or stitch the wound.
- Note the time and the body part. Photograph the wound if you can.
- Come to the clinic today. If the clinic is closed and there is a red-flag wound, go to a hospital emergency department tonight.
Go to a hospital emergency department tonight if
- the bite or scratch is on the face, head, neck or hands
- there are several wounds, a deep puncture or heavy bleeding
- the person bitten is a child under 5 or has weakened immunity
- saliva got into the eyes, nose or mouth
Most hospital emergency departments can clean the wound and start rabies prevention tonight. For everything else: wash for 15 minutes, send us a WhatsApp message (it is seen first thing in the morning), and come in when the clinic opens to start the vaccine the same day.
What Happens at Nirvana Clinic
- Wound check and category. Dr. Sondhi examines every wound, including the ones you did not notice, cleans anything not washed properly, and assigns the category.
- First vaccine dose at the same visit. Nirvana Clinic keeps cell-culture rabies vaccine in stock (Rabivax-S or Abhayrab, depending on stock), so day 0 is today. The injection goes into the upper arm muscle, or the outer thigh in small children.
- Same-day RIG referral for Category III. The clinic does not stock rabies immunoglobulin. You are referred straight away to a nearby centre that does, with a note stating the category and what has already been given. RIG is ideally given on day 0 and can still be given up to day 7 after the first vaccine dose, but not later.
- Tetanus and wound infection. Your tetanus protection is reviewed at the same visit. Deep or contaminated puncture wounds may need a short antibiotic course, decided case by case. Monkey wounds are also assessed for other, rarer monkey-borne infections — one more reason every monkey bite deserves a doctor’s look rather than a pharmacy visit.
- Written schedule and follow-up. You leave with the calendar dates for the remaining doses and a number to message if you are running late for one.
The 5-dose course (Essen intramuscular regimen)
Day 0 is the day of your first injection, not the day of the encounter. A late dose means you continue the course; you do not restart. Had a full rabies course before? With a card or record, a new exposure needs only two booster doses, on day 0 and day 3, and no RIG. Without a record it is treated as a fresh exposure.
Preventing Monkey Encounters in Greater Noida
Most monkey injuries here happen in the same few situations: food carried in the open, a kitchen window left ajar, a child alone on a terrace.
At home
- Latch balcony doors and kitchen windows when a troop is nearby; grills alone do not stop a monkey.
- No fruit, bread or garbage on balconies or terraces.
- Supervise children on terraces, and teach them to hand over food rather than hold on to it.
Outside
- Never feed monkeys — fed troops lose their fear of people and start snatching.
- Carry food and plastic bags out of sight.
- Give a troop with young ones a wide berth; mothers attack first.
If a troop keeps returning
- Report persistent or aggressive troops to your society office or the local civic authority rather than driving them off yourself.
- Families in sectors with resident troops sometimes ask about pre-exposure rabies vaccination, which simplifies care after a bite to two booster doses — ask through our adult vaccination service.
Care Led by Dr. Manuj Sondhi
MRCP (UK), MD, DNB · Consultant Physician & Diabetologist
2-year Fellowship in Infectious Diseases & HIV, Tata Memorial Hospital · Visiting Consultant, Infectious Diseases, Fortis Greater Noida
Dr. Sondhi assesses animal bites, starts the vaccine course at the same visit, arranges RIG where it is needed, and follows the course through to completion. He also runs the clinic’s infectious disease service. Read his full profile.
📍 GF-93, Ground Floor, Sun Twilight Complex, opposite Delta-1 Metro Station, Greater Noida 201308 · Mon–Sat 9 AM–8 PM · 5.0 ★ · 350+ Google reviews
Frequently Asked Questions
Do monkeys carry rabies in India?
Yes. Monkeys are mammals that can carry and transmit rabies, and India's national guidelines treat wild-animal bites, including monkey bites, as high-risk exposures. Monkey bites are far less common than dog bites, but a monkey cannot be observed after it bites, so post-exposure vaccination is started without waiting.
A monkey scratched me but it did not bleed. Do I need the vaccine?
Yes. A scratch or graze that breaks the surface of the skin without bleeding is a Category II exposure, which needs wound washing and the full five-dose vaccine course. Only unbroken skin with no lick on a cut is Category I. Because scratches are hard to grade at home, have a doctor look at it the same day.
How many injections are given after a monkey bite?
Five intramuscular doses on days 0, 3, 7, 14 and 28, counted from the first injection, plus rabies immunoglobulin around the wound for any bite or bleeding scratch. If you have a record of a complete rabies vaccine course in the past, two booster doses on day 0 and day 3 are enough and immunoglobulin is not needed.
Do I need rabies immunoglobulin (RIG) after a monkey bite?
For any monkey bite, bleeding scratch, lick on broken skin or saliva contact with the eyes or mouth, yes. RIG gives immediate protection at the wound while the vaccine takes effect. It is ideally given on day 0 and can be given up to day 7 after the first vaccine dose, but not later. Nirvana Clinic starts the vaccine and refers you the same day to a nearby centre for RIG.
A monkey bit my child on the face. What should I do?
Wash the wound for 15 minutes with soap and running water, do not apply anything else, and go to a hospital emergency department tonight if the clinic is closed. Face and head wounds are close to the brain, so rabies immunoglobulin and the first vaccine dose are needed the same day. Children receive the same vaccine dose as adults, and the vaccine is safe at any age.
The monkey looked healthy. Can I skip the vaccine?
No. A rabid animal can look normal in the days before symptoms appear, and a monkey cannot be caught and observed for 10 days the way a pet dog can. Because rabies is almost always fatal once symptoms begin and the vaccine is highly effective when given in time, the full course is completed for every monkey exposure.
The monkey bite happened last week. Is it too late to start?
No. Post-exposure vaccination is started whenever a person comes in, as long as there are no symptoms, because the incubation period is usually weeks to months. The full five-dose course is given and immunoglobulin is added on the day of the first dose for a Category III wound. Come in today rather than waiting any longer.
Bitten or Scratched by a Monkey? Start Today.
Vaccine in stock, first dose at the same visit, same-day RIG referral, written schedule for the rest. Walk in near Delta-1 Metro, or message us first if you are coming from Knowledge Park, Pari Chowk, Gaur City or Noida Extension.