No shortage of rabies vaccine in K’taka: Health dept

Bengaluru: The state health department has clarified that there is no shortage of anti-rabies vaccines in Karnataka.

In a note released on Thursday, the department said that rabies has been designated as a notifiable disease in the state. Nearly 40,000 cases of dog bites are reported on the Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP) every month.

“The Karnataka State Medical Supplies Corporation Limited (KSMSCL) is the nodal agency responsible for supplying all medicines and consumables to all health institutions in the state. ARV and Rabies Immunoglobulin are included in the state’s ‘Essential Drug List’,” read the note.

According to data from the KSMSCL and the Aushadhi software, there are over
1.45 lakh vials of the anti-rabies vaccine across government health institutions and at least 188 vials in government warehouses across the state.

The KSMSCL has also issued an official order to supply 89,389 vials of Rabies Immunoglobulin within the next two weeks. Therefore, there will be no shortage of these two medicines in state hospitals for the next three months, said the note.