WHO South-East Asia, regional office: Highlight, September 27, 2012
Over 1.4 billion people living in the WHO South-East Asia Region are at risk of rabies infection. Every year, 21 000 – 24 000 people die of the disease in the Region, and 4 million receive at least one dose of the rabies vaccine. Dog bites account for 96% of human rabies cases in South-East Asia. To eliminate rabies transmitted by dogs, increased emphasis on animal vaccination and public awareness of rabies are both essential.
Commentary: It is always a sobering fact to remember that India has the largest number of Rabies deaths in the World. Out of an estimated 55,000 deaths due to Rabies worldwide, more than 20,000 are estimated to occur in India alone!
Even the New York Times has written about the problem of stray dogs & rabies in India!
The recent death of a UK grandmother did make headlines in the West, prompting CDC & WHO to reissue the advisory regarding Rabies vaccine for travelers to India. However, even with the best intentions of the Government of India, this is a challenge for India as it has a large population of dogs (around 25 million) and very low vaccination coverage.
I truly appreciate this post. I’ve been looking everywhere for this! Thank goodness I found it on Bing. You have made my day! Thank you again
Im thankful for the article.Thanks Again. Keep writing.
Great post, you have pointed out some excellent details, I besides think this is a very good website.