The rabid mentality
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: May 31, 2013 -
Reported cases of dog bite deaths in some parts of Manipur in the last one month has once again revived the aged-old fear of Rabies, one of the most widely spread zoonoses, diseases that are naturally transmitted between vertebrate animals and humans.
It is said that annually Rabies causes about 55,000 human deaths worldwide, out of which 95 percent human deaths occur in Africa and Asia with India and Bangladesh accounting the highest incidence of Rabies deaths in the entire South East Asian region.
According to the 2004 report of World Health Organisation (WHO), there are approximately 18,000 human Rabies deaths in India every year.
This is despite the fact that Rabies, though recognized for over 4,000 years, is a vaccine-preventable disease and there are safe and effective vaccines for both human and veterinary use.
Researchers have also demonstrated effectiveness of strategies to control rabies at the population level, through post exposure prophylaxis in humans and animal birth control and immunization among dogs.
But the sad part of the story is that policy makers in most Rabies endemic countries including India have always been hesitant or half-hearted in implementing these strategies.
As a consequence, Rabies continues to remain deadly, posing a serious public health issue in the country.
The same lackadaisical attitude towards dealing with the problem of Rabies can also be seen in Manipur, if not more prominently, on the side of the authorities concerned as well as the public.
Even though the available information or data is sketchy due to absence of any systematic study on the magnitude of health problem so far, everyone knows that this is not first time that cases of Rabies or deaths from bite by rabid dogs or other animals have occurred in Manipur.
According to Animal Diseases Awareness Bulletin, 2004-05, though there was no human fatality, in all 94 cases were found positive of Rabies in animals like dogs, cats and other domestic cattle in Manipur from 1997 to 2005 and the reported human deaths from possible bites by rabid dogs till 21st March of 2006 was 18.
Moreover, there were reports of confirming 13 cases of rabies infection to dogs in the State during 2009-10 and eight cases during 2010-11.
And this year, prior to the reported death of three persons from suspected cases of Rabies in Phumlou under Imphal West district on May 21, there were reports on death of two minor kids in the district hospital of Tamenglong after being bitten by dogs and of a young man in Motbung village meeting similar fate, although the two latter cases have never been confirmed by the authorities concerned.
Here, what we would like to underscore is the hysterical response of the authorities concerned and the public, particularly the dog owners, after every death case from dog bite, while remaining oblivious rest of the time.
If the authorities are in the habit of stepping up anti-rabies vaccination drive after report of Rabies related death cases spreads like wildlife, the owners unfailingly make a beeline to vaccinate their canine-pets at every veterinary hospital and clinic even to the extent of exhausting entire stock of anti-Rabies vaccines in no time.
As long as this attitude remains, Rabies would continue to be a health issue in Manipur even though the possibility of spreading this preventable zoonotic disease by stray dogs and other wild animals is almost nil.
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