Do not ignore dog bite, get anti-rabies shot: Director
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, October 06 2023:
Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Services director Dr Ng Ibotombi has urged the public not to ignore dog bite but to get post bite anti-rabies shot without any delay.
He was speaking at a one-day seminar on 'National One Health Programme for Prevention and Control of Zoonoses' and 'Rabies in Animal and Human' jointly organised by department of veterinary and animal husbandry, RIMS department of Microbiology and directorate of health services under the aegis of National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), New Delhi at the farmers' training hall, Veterinary complex near Sanjenthong, here, on Friday.
Addressing the gathering, Dr Ibotombi said that in 99 per cent of bite or scratch cases by rabid dog, the rabies virus get transmitted to humans.
Dogs, cats and similar wild animals are the carriers of rabies virus.
Bite by such animals should not be ignored but one should visit the nearest health centre and get post-bite vaccine, in the absence of which one may get the infection.
Symptom manifestation takes weeks and ignoring such incidents could result in life threatening infection.
In case, the bite is severe, one may also need additional shots of post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) with rabies vaccine and immunoglobulin, he said.
Every year, September 28 is observed as World Rabies Day with the objective to eradicate rabies.
Some countries have succeeded in eradicating rabies but developing and under-developed countries are still struggling.
India is setting a target of 2030 to eradicate the disease and it will need coordination and cooperation from all stakeholders such as government departments including forest department, local bodies, NGOs and CSOs, the director elaborated and appealed to pet owners to vaccinate their dogs and cats.
RIMS Microbiology Department head and nodal officer of National One Health Programme for Prevention and Control of Zoonoses professor Khuraijam Ranjana spoke on 'Mechanisms for Prevention and Control of Zoonoses'.
Additional director (public health) Dr Y Gopalkrishna, IDSP state surveillance officer Dr Ksh Roshan, and RIMS department of microbiology assistant professor Dr Shakti Laishram also spoke on rabies virus.
An action plan for eradication of rabies virus was also tabled on the occasion.