WORLD RABIES DAY
For more than 4000 years, rabies has plagued mankind. Rabies is one of the most demonian and feared infectious diseasesand has been widely documented by the earliest humancivilizations. Globally, almost 60,000 people die each year of dog mediated rabies. Most of the deaths are estimated to have occurred in Asia (59.6%) and Africa (36.4%), with especially high incidences in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Despite being a 100% vaccine preventable disease, impactof rabies is increasing day by day, which is a worrisome issue in both developing as well as developed Nations. The disease is present in more than 150 countriesand territories around the world. In India, Rabies is endemic in almost all States/UTs with very few exceptions. Rabies is a classic ‘One Health’ challenge: around 99% of human Rabies deaths arise from exposure to arabid dog, vaccinating at least 70% of at-risk dogs is the cheapest and most effective way to stop rabies transmission between canines and from dogs to humans.Although Rabies affects people of all age groups, children are the most vulnerable group which constitutes 40% of people exposed to dog bites in Rabies-endemic areas
For centuries, the disease has inspired remedies dark and magical, from poultices made from the skulls of hanged men, to branding with Saint Hubert’s Key and cutting the attachment of the tongue, where the disease was thought to reside. Scientific evidences suggest that rabies deaths in human are preventable through prompt and appropriate medical care. Standard animal vaccines for providing pre-exposure prophylaxis to dogs and human vaccines forproviding optimum post-exposure prophylaxis to dog bite victims needs to be made available on free-of-cost basis.Approximately 80% of human cases occur in rural areas, and over 40% of rabies deaths occur in children aged under 15 years.
Globally, the economic burden of rabies is estimated at US$ 8.6 billionper annum. This cost is disproportionately borne by the world’s poorest of the poor. People continue to die of rabies because of their limited awareness of the disease, because the disease remains apparently uncontrolled in dogs and because they lack access to basic medical healthcare services, following an exposure. Recentlywe lost a brave-heart in district Rambanwho reportedly died due to rabies, following bitten by a stray canid. As per conservative estimates around 10,000 persons are bitten by dogs every year within the municipal limits of Jammu and Srinagar. Although the exact burden with respect to incidences of rabies in the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir is not known.
Preventing human deaths by prompt post-exposure prophylaxis and mass dog vaccination is the key to eliminate this neglected disease.Rabies is 100% vaccine preventable: Protecting dogs, protecting people and thereby offering opportunities to achieve a goal of zero human dog-mediated rabies deaths by 2030 is possible. As per the rough estimates stray dog population in district Srinagar is approximately 60000 while in Jammu city it is around 50000. We have the vaccines, medicines, tools and technologies to prevent people from dying of dog-mediated rabies. For a relatively low cost it is possible to break the disease cycle and save lives.A collaborative response, through rabies programmes, contributes to disease prevention and preparedness. Reaching Zero by 30 will save the lives of children and the livelihoods of adults.
Investing in rabies elimination improves equity and access to medical care and contributes to sustainable development. Providing life-saving medical services to the people at highest risk of rabies relies on health systems capable of reaching the world’s most underserved populations. The same basic infrastructure required to build rabies awareness and improve access to basic services in communities is required to provide essential medicines, vaccines and health care; strengthening human and veterinary health systems, improving health outcomes and maximizing the impact of each penny invested. The well integrated rabies elimination approach not only quickly makes a significant impact on eradicating human rabies deaths but also improves access to health care for the world’s most disadvantageous communities.
Engaging communities to build awareness of rabies and vaccinate dogs to prevent human disease, requires close One Health collaboration between human and veterinary health sectors. The cooperative and collaborative approach enhances preventive measures not only against rabies butestablishes basis for response to other existing or emerging zoonoses that may pose a pandemic threat. The economic burden resulting from lost livestock and working animals directly affects resource-poor communities. A coordinated response between animal and human health systems not only has a positive impact on the livelihood of communities but also strengthens surveillance of rabies and other diseases in the human health system.
United to eliminate dog mediated human rabies deaths by 2030
Rabies elimination is no longer a dream. The world has the knowledge and resources needed to eliminate rabies: Multi-disciplinary road-map to combat Rabies by way of National Action Plan for dog-mediated Rabies Elimination (NAPRE) and the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023were formulated by the Administration. Under NAPRE efforts have been made to promote wider consultation across the stakeholders andensuring availability of Anti Rabies Vaccine and Anti Rabies Serum to all animalbite victims at all levels of health facilities. The ABC Rules, 2023 revolves around neutering, vaccination and parasitic control of stray dogs. It is expected that this plan will result in population stabilization and presence of healthier strays.For dealing with any emergent situation arising out of rabies among livestock sufficient logistic requirements, both in terms of human resources and medical supplies are available at all field institutions of Animal Husbandry Department. In this backdrop, with the objectives to eliminate human rabies deaths by 2030, situation warrants a collaborative approach by engaging all stakeholders in the fight to end rabies and promoting the concept of ‘All for 1, One Health for All’ is the need of hour.
“Dogs do Speak, But only to those Who know how to Listen”
Dogs are man’s best friend, they are part of our ecosystemand not encroachers on earth; there is no question of eliminating them. For making elimination of rabies possible, all relevant sectors have to collaborate, communicate and coordinate.Together, we can find concrete solutions for a healthier and more sustainable world. If we do not act now, hundreds of thousands of people will die of rabies before 2030. By promoting collaboration across all sectors in a coordinated way, a One Health approach can achieve the best health outcomes for people, animals and plants in a shared environment thereby achieving zero human dog-mediated rabies deaths by 2030.
(The Author is Veterinary Assistant Surgeon, Department of Animal Husbandry Kashmir. Email: [email protected]
