Rabies and Immunoglobulin Service (RIgS)
Updated 19 May 2025
Applies to England
漏 Crown copyright 2025
This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit or write to the Information Policy Team, 皇冠体育app National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: [email protected].
Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.
This publication is available at /government/publications/immunoglobulin-when-to-use/rabies-and-immunoglobulin-service-rigs
皇冠体育app Rabies and Immunoglobulin Service (RIgS) at UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) Colindale is a cross-divisional service supporting the post-exposure treatment of serious infections, through the development of guidance, provision of clinical advice and issuing of immunoglobulins and anti-toxins following a detailed risk assessment.
This includes post exposure treatment and clinical management for rabies and botulism (TARGET 鈥� Tuberculosis, Acute Respiratory, Gastrointestinal, Emerging/Zoonotic Infections and Travel Health Division), hepatitis A and B (BSHSH 鈥� Blood Safety, Hepatitis, Sexually-transmitted Infections and聽HIV聽Division) and measles, chickenpox and diphtheria (Imms 鈥� Immunisation and Countermeasures Division).
RIgS聽staff comprise a multi-disciplinary team of nurses, a business manager and administrative support; they are hosted in Immunisation under a consultant virologist. Expert guidance and medical support is provided by consultants from each of the divisions responsible for their specific topic area.
Immunoglobulins and anti-toxins are rare products that are centrally procured by聽UKHSA聽from a range of manufacturers. Stock is held centrally at Movianto, UK on behalf of聽UKHSA, but also at a number of stockholders distributed throughout the country.
RIgS聽is a busy service; in 2024 聽there were 4,743 calls related to rabies prophylaxis or post-exposure treatment.
Rabies and Immunoglobulin 聽service (RIgS)
RIgS operates 7 days per week. Our routine hours are 9am to 5pm. After this time, the emergency out of hours service is only able to deal with calls about potential human cases of botulism or diphtheria, or the highest risk rabies exposures (these are exposures to the head or neck, or to an animal that is confirmed to have rabies). Callers calling about any other rabies exposures should administer a dose of rabies vaccine (if available locally) and call back the next day after 9am.
Requests for immunoglobulin/vaccine Monday to Friday will be ordered through Movianto for delivery to a named responsible clinician to arrive the next working day before 2pm. However, there may occasionally be specific urgent situations where聽immunoglobulin/vaccine is needed sooner than this, and in these circumstances聽UKHSA聽can issue through a more rapid delivery.