Rabies: do I need protection?

Two men in their mid 30s come to see you for pretravel advice. They are planning a four week trip cycling from Lhasa in Tibet to Kathmandu in Nepal with a side trip to the north face base camp of Mt Everest. They are leaving in eight weeks. Their friend has been to a travel clinic and has been advised to have a course of rabies vaccinations. They are not convinced it is important and come to seek your advice. (author abstract)