Our pedatrician advised against 16-yr old son getting rabies vaccine before going to africa village trip since he has not been bitten. do you agree?

What country?: Centers for disease control has a great travel resource center with vaccination recommendations based on the destination: http://wwwnc.Cdc.Gov/travel/destinations/list.Htm if you're not comfortable with the doctor's recommendation, you may want to see if there is a local doctor that specializes in travel medicine. Best of luck.

Risk of exposure?: Rabies vaccination depends on the risk of rabies in the local animal population as well as the human risk activity. If there is a significant rabies risk in the dog/cat/primate poulation and the child is spending significant time outside or working with animals, i would favor pre-exposure rabies vaccination.

Which country?: Africa is a mighty big continent. For the most part, the CDC tends to recommend Rabies vaccines for specific reasons like: If engaging in outdoor activities like camping or hiking. Working near animals (veterinarians or wildlife professional). If children are young & might touch unknown animals.