'ONE HEALTH' APPROACH TO REDUCE RABIES BURDEN IN INDIA

Rabies is a zoonotic (disease transmitted naturally from vertebrate animals to humans and vice a versa) disease caused by Lyssa virus of Rhabdoviridae family. The disease has a high case fatality rate (~ 100%).

- Jay Prakash Yadav, Maninder Singh

However, at the same time, the disease is 100% vaccine-preventable also. Rabies is prevalent in more than 150 countries and continents and causes around 60,000 human deaths each year. India is endemic for rabies and has one-third (36%) of annual rabies deaths in the world. Around 40% of rabies victims are children under 15 years of age. Warm blood animals, mostly dogs (~99%) are the main source of rabies transmission to humans. The virus is present in the saliva of rabid animals and inserted into the body through the bite of the animal. For the fi rst time in the country, the National Rabies Control Program (NRCP) was implemented by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India in 2008 (an initiative under the 11th Five Year Plan). NRCP reported 6644 clinically suspected cases and deaths of human rabies between 2012 and 2022. To make people aware about this deadly disease, World Rabies Day (WRD) is celebrated every year on 28th September. This day is also important because it is the death anniversary of French microbiologist, Louis Pasteur, who discovered the first rabies vaccine in 1885. This year, the theme of WRD is “All for 1, One Health for All” which emphasises the need for an inter-sectoral and multidisciplinary approach to combat this fatal disease involving coordination, communication, and cooperation between human, animal and environmental health science professionals. The United Against Rabies Forum takes a multi-sectoral, One Health approach bringing together governments, vaccine NGOS, producers, researchers, and development partners to one platform. This campaign is supported by international health agencies including the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Clinical Symptoms of Rabies