World Rabies Day 2022: Theme, history, India’s 2030 action plan

Today (September 28) is World Rabies Day. This year marks the 16th World Rabies Day.

World Rabies Day is observed annually since 2007 to raise awareness about rabies prevention and to highlight progress in defeating this horrifying disease.

September 28 also marks the death anniversary of French chemist and microbiologist Louis Pasteur, who developed the first rabies vaccine.

Also read: Despite TN plan to control rabies, stray dogs pose threat to rural livestock

World Rabies Day 2022 theme

This year’s theme for World Rabies Day is ‘Rabies: One Health, Zero Deaths’, and it highlights the connection of the environment with both people and animals, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.

As per WHO, an estimated 59,000 people die from rabies each year. That’s one person every nine minutes of every day, 40% of whom are children living in Asia and Africa. Rabies is one of the oldest and most terrifying diseases known to man.

In 2015, the world called for action by setting a goal of zero human dog-mediated rabies deaths by 2030, worldwide.

Also read: Kerala govt to open model anti-rabies clinics in hospitals

What is rabies?

According to WHO, rabies is a vaccine-preventable, zoonotic, viral disease. Once clinical symptoms appear, rabies is virtually 100% fatal. In up to 99% of cases, domestic dogs are responsible for rabies virus transmission to humans. Yet, rabies can affect both domestic and wild animals. It is spread to people and animals through bites or scratches, usually via saliva.

Rabies is present on all continents, except Antarctica, with over 95% of human deaths occurring in the Asia and Africa regions. Rabies is one of the Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) that predominantly affects poor and vulnerable populations who live in remote rural locations. Approximately 80% of human cases occur in rural areas, WHO said.

Vaccinating dogs is the most cost-effective strategy for preventing rabies in people. Dog vaccination reduces deaths attributable to dog-mediated rabies and the need for PEP as a part of dog bite patient care, it added.

Also read: 19-year-old Kerala student dies of rabies despite taking vaccination

Health minister’s message

On the occasion of World Rabies Day, Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya urged those who have pets to get them vaccinated and to take a pledge to ensure that no one dies of rabies.

“On #WorldRabiesDay, let us take a pledge to fight rabies so that no one dies because of this disease. Get your pets vaccinated & take other necessary measures to prevent rabies,” Mandaviya tweeted.

On #WorldRabiesDay, let us take a pledge to fight rabies so that no one dies because of this disease.

Get your pets vaccinated & take other necessary measures to prevent rabies. pic.twitter.com/BrfDkcB4T6

— Dr Mansukh Mandaviya (@mansukhmandviya) September 28, 2022

India’s plan to eliminate rabies

Last year, on World Rabies Day, India launched a new National Action Plan for dog Mediated Rabies Elimination (NAPRE) by 2030. The Union government had urged all the states and Union territories (UTs) to make rabies a notifiable disease.

According to WHO, India is endemic to rabies and suffers approximately 36% of the world’s human rabies deaths transmitted by dogs.