Human rabies in India: a problem needing more attention

1yet in countries of south-eastern Asia the disease is still an important public health problem. An estimated 45% of all deaths from rabies occur in that part of the world. 2 The situation is especially pronounced in India, which reports about 18 000 to 20 000 cases of rabies a year and about 36% of the world’s deaths from the disease. 3 Rabies incidence in India has been constant for a decade, without any obvious declining trend, and reported incidence is probably an underestimation of true incidence because in India rabies is still not a notifiable disease. 4 This situation is rooted in a general lack of awareness of preventive measures, which translates into insufficient dog vaccination, an uncon trolled canine population, poor knowledge of proper post-exposure prophylaxis on the part of many medical professionals, and an irregular supply of anti-rabies vaccine and immunoglobulin, particularly in primary-health-care facilities. In India, rabies affects mainly people of lower socio-economic status and children between the ages of 5 and 15 years. 4