Health dept takes up 'rabies-free initiative' in 11 cities including Mysuru

This is as part of State Action Plan for Rabies Elimination to eliminate dog-mediated human rabies by 2030 in Karnataka.

Mysuru: The Department of Health and family welfare has taken up 'rabies-free cities initiative' in 11 major cities as part of 'State Action Plan for Rabies Elimination (SAPRE)' to eliminate dog-mediated human rabies by 2030 in Karnataka.

Those cities include Mysuru, Bengaluru (GBA), Bellary, Belagavi,  Davanagere, Hubballi-Dharwad, Kalaburagi, Mangaluru, Shivamogga, Tumkur and Vijayapura.  

This initiative is in alignment with the National Rabies Control Programme (NRCP) and the national goal of 'zero human deaths due to dog-mediated Rabies by 2030'. Though Rabies is preventable, it remains fatal once symptoms develop, health officials said. 

As part of SAPRE, they have constituted State and district-level joint steering committees for coordinated action and monitoring. They have come up with city task forces and city action plans to eliminate rabies in these cities as part of the initiative.

They have adopted a comprehensive 'One Health strategy' to address rabies in an integrated and sustainable manner with multi departmental coordination who play specific roles to achieve this goal, according to Health department officials. 

They explained that, with the State Action Plan, health department focuses on strengthening prevention, ensuring 24×7 Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) services, timely and equitable access to life-saving treatment, enhancing surveillance, diagnostics, managing data, carrying out advocacy activities and promoting coordinated action across sectors.  

Veterinary officials are conducting Mass Dog Vaccination (MDV) and they have the target of vaccinating 10,31,093 dogs in Karnataka including  89,374 dogs in Bengaluru city and 21,162 dogs in Mysuru district. They are even focusing on Dog Population Management (DPM) via sterilisation (Animal Birth Control), carrying out risk mapping, and strengthening surveillance systems. Urban Development Department, Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), PRIs (Panchayati Raj Institutions) are deploying dog-catching teams, ensuring pet registration, improving waste management, supporting logistics for DPM/MDV, and processing compensation for animal-bite victims besides establishing Shelters for stray dogs found near institutions. 

Officials of the forest department are identifying rabies-endemic forest areas and ensuring diagnostic sampling, and providing pre-exposure prophylaxis to zoo staff and handlers. 

Health department is even coordinating with members of Animal Welfare Board, departments of medical education, school education and literacy, agriculture, finance department. They are even seeking active participation from private institutions, NGOs and citizens to achieve the mission.     

About specific steps taken by health department officials informed that, under the provisions of the Karnataka Epidemic Diseases Act, 2020, Rabies was declared as notifiable disease on December 5, 2022 to ensure systematic reporting, surveillance and monitoring activities. Free Anti-Rabies Vaccine (ARV) and Rabies Immunoglobulin (RIG) are provided at all Government Primary Health centres, Community Health centres, Taluk hospitals and District hospitals for all dog/animal bite cases.

Provisions under the Karnataka Private Medical Establishments Act, 2007, and the Karnataka Good Samaritan and Medical Professional (Protection and Regulation During Emergency Situations) Act, 2016, mandate that all hospitals provide immediate first aid, emergency stabilisation, and necessary treatment for dog/animal bite victims without insisting on advance payment, and shall be eligible to claim such bill amount from the State Government, through District Registration and Grievance Authority at the rates admissible to eligible patients under SAST scheme. District Public health laboratory (DPHL) Haveri is being established as Rabies Regional laboratory, officials said. 

Factfile

In 2025

                      Dog bites                 Rabies deaths

India :               47.48 lakh     ;            192

Karnataka:      4.99 lakh    ;              52

Vijayapura:      32,317   ;            3

BBMP:       31,013     

Hassan:      28,680

Dakshina Kannada: 27485 ;     2

Bengaluru urban: 23,823;    18

Mandya:   22,601

Tumakuru: 22487;

Belagavi: 21,704;         9

Mysuru dist : 21052;          4

(Mysuru city: 5350)

Shivamogga: 20548  ;             2 

(Source: IHIP portal State Surveillance Unit-IDSP data of health department).