Fear of rabies and post-bite psychological stress: a qualitative study of YouTube comments from India

Background Dog-mediated rabies remains a fatal yet preventable zoonotic disease and continues to cause a substantial proportion of global rabies deaths in India. Although biomedical and epidemiological aspects are well documented, far less attention has been paid to the psychological impact of rabies exposure and the public fear surrounding it. Objective To explore how rabies is perceived and emotionally experienced in public online discourse in India, and to characterise patterns of anxiety and distress expressed following dog-bite exposure. Methods Public comments (n = 300) were retrieved from six Indian YouTube videos featuring rabies-related content, including news debates, medical explanations, fatal case narratives, free-roaming-dog attack footage, and short videos referencing post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP). Following screening for relevance, 172 comments were analysed using Braun and Clarke’s six-phase inductive thematic analysis framework. Results Six principal themes were identified: Rabies Death Anxiety; Medical Anxiety and Reassurance Seeking; Family Protection and Social Impact; Contamination Fear and Avoidance; Hypervigilance; and Contested Attitudes towards Free-Roaming Dogs. Fear-oriented themes predominated. Death anxiety (26%) and medical reassurance seeking (30%) were the most frequent thematic categories. Many comments described persistent rumination, repeated wound-checking, uncertainty regarding vaccine adequacy, and ongoing distress long after exposure. Family-level behavioural changes and avoidance practices were also described. Comments also revealed contrasting views on free-roaming dogs, ranging from support for humane vaccination, sterilisation and coexistence to calls for removal or culling. Conclusion The analysed social media discourse suggests that rabies is represented not only as a biomedical threat, but also as a source of persistent uncertainty and fear. Digital comment spaces reveal uncertainty, fear of fatality, and behavioural adaptation following perceived exposure. Integrating psychological considerations and clear risk communication into rabies-control programmes may strengthen public confidence in prevention and treatment strategies.