ALL FOR 1-ONE HEALTH FOR ALL : INDIA’S SUCCESSFUL PATH WAY TOWARDS ZERO DOG MEDIATED RABIES DEATH
By Dr.M.S.Saravanan B.V.Sc.,Assistant Director,Animal Husbandry Department, Sivagangai, Tamilnadu
All for 1,One Health for All means All the members of a ONE HEALTH support each of the individual members, and the individual members pledge to create the Zero Dog mediated Rabies Death in Humans through ONE HEALTH.This is the year 2023 WORLD RABIES DAY Theme.
All for 1 One Health for all highlight the importance points
☆One Health is not selected few but for every one.
☆Equal accessibility to Health services and availability of post exposure prophylaxis to equally to both Urban and Rural communities which not only save lives but Eliminate Rabies from Nation.
☆we have enough vaccines,medicines,equipments and Technologies to Eliminate the centuries old zoonotic diseases.Zero Dog mediated Rabies human death through One Health model will create path way for Elimination of other zoonotic diseases and Pandemic Diseases.
☆Through One Health Approach by integrations across sectors, involving all stakeholders in the communities and committing to sustainable dog vaccination, together as 1 we can work towards 1 goal to eliminate 1 disease to make One Health available to all – using rabies as the example.
Rabies still the Hundred percent fatal disease among the zoonotic diseases both in Humans and Animals.One HEALTH approach which emphasises the importance of collaborative approach between the human medicine,Veterinary medicine and Local administration which are the stakeholders of Human and Animals health must always consider the importance Rabies vaccine for all Dogs in a community and free availability of Quality pre as well as post exposure prophylaxis Rabies vaccine to All Humans which lead to Elimination of 100 percent fatal zoonotic disease Rabies from Nation before the year 2023.
WORLD RABIES DAY :
World Rabies Day celebrated every year on September 28.This day is the remembrance day of Father of modern Microbiology Louis Pasteur who invented the Rabies vaccine.This day celebrated globally with the aim of creating awareness among public that Rabies is preventable disease through Rabies Vaccination.
World Rabies Day emphasise on Eradication of Dog bite mediated rabies by year 2030.To achieve this target
# 70 percent of the both community dogs and household pet dogs must covered by Annual Rabies vaccination by Government Veterinary Department with the cooperation of Administrative authorities.Awareness creation to mass media regarding Importance of Rabies vaccination to dogs and cats must be carried out extensively.
#WHO recommened Rabies post exposure prophylaxis treatment and vaccination procedures must available in all Government medical centres.Awarness must be created among both rural and urban communities through mass media that Rabies zoonotic disease 100 percent preventable through PEP Rabies vaccine procedures.
#Wild life Animals are major reservoir for Rabies Virus.Periodical Oral Rabies vaccine to Rabies carrier wild life Animals very important to prevent Sylvatic Rabies by Wildlife Authorities.
#One Health Team consists of members from Health,Veterinary Wildlife and Local administration must exchange database regarding Dog vaccinations, Post bite human vaccinations and Oral vaccination for wildlife.Through the collaborative approach of One Health, vulnerable areas in the locality and action plan to Eliminate Rabies from the area can be formulated.
All for One:
Physicians, Veterinarians and Local Administration authorities are all work for one common Goal,that is Health for all.Good Human Health is not possible with out the best Health of Animals,Birds and best quality solid wastes management system.Out of 10 Human emerging and re-emerging diseases,6 diseases have its origin from Animals and Birds.Most of the Human occupational diseases have its origin from Environmental pollution.Sharing of Disease occurrence information in Humans and Animals between Physicians,Veterinarians and Local administration Authorities are Vital for the control and prevention of disease occurrence.World Rabies Day emphasise this approach as All for One.
70 percentage rabies vaccination for Dog population:
To control dog mediated Rabies in a particular locality 70 percent of both Home Reared pets and community dogs must be vaccinated annually by Rabies vaccine by veterinary Doctors with the help of local authorities.Data collection regarding dog population
In a particular locality by local administration is very important for the 70 percent Rabies vaccination coverage by veterinary Doctors.Catching of community dogs for rabies vaccination required training to dog catchers.PrEP vaccination is must for workers and veterinary Doctors involved in the community dog vaccination. Animal birth control surgery for community dogs are important part of Rabies Control programme to maintain the stable community dog population.ABC Centre creation and maintenance at vital localities by by local administration is very important for Rabies Control programme.
Effective 100 percent PEP Vaccination for People:
Post bite prophylactic Rabies vaccination centres in all block level Human hospitals with intradermal vaccines and Rabies Immunoglobulin inj must be available in sufficient quantities. Good vaccine storage facility and trained staff are very important for the life saving effective Rabies vaccination.
Effective Solid waste management:
Proper disposal of dead animal carcasses, Animal slaughter House wastages and poultry meat shop wastages.Improper disposable of these wastages lead to explode the stray dog population. Local administration authorities the help of pollution control boards monitor these proper disposal of Animals waste as well as slaughter House wastages.
ONE HEALTH FOR ALL:
Zero human death from Rabies is the One Health for all ultimate aim.All members of One Health must work towards ‘Zero human death from Rabies’ goal.Intagration of Health,Veterinary and Local administration departments through One Health Approach reach all stakeholders of the community and no one left behind.
WHO’s Operational Guidelines:
WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION recommends following operational guidelines to achieve this goal.
#Validate the elimination of Rabies as a public health problem.Reaching Zero Human rabies death means,absence of human death from dog mediated Rabies for at least 24 months in a country that is operating and continues to maintain adequate surveillance for Rabies and demonstrates an effective Rabies Control I human and Animal populations.
#Verify elimination of dog mediated Rabies with high quality surveillance according to internal standards.
#Be declared Rabies free which follows from verification,and recognizes countries or areas that are free from both dog Rabies and terrestrial Rabies.
Challenges in Achieving Zero Rabies status in India through One Health Approach:
The Rabies prevention and control by “One Health Approach” is also challenging in the Indian Context due to varied administrative structure and priorities across
sectors involved at the National and state level. The key challenges for are as under:
#Lack of understanding about One Health Concept in the concerned stakeholders.
#The priorities are different for different sectors and accordingly poor and inadequate resource allocation for
undertaking activities and to achieve the target.
#Fragmented activities of animal health components such as dog population management and mass dog vaccination across the sectors.
#Poor surveillance, reporting of human and animal rabies cases and lack of structured mechanism of data sharing across human and veterinary sectors.
# Large Stray dog population both in urban, semi urban and rural areas.
These key challenges are over come by WHO recommended One Health Approach which comprises India’s Pathway to Zero Dog mediated Rabies human death and National Action plan for Dog Mediated Rabies Elimination by the year 2030.
India’s Pathway to Zero Dog mediated Rabies human death:
#In 2007 GOI declared Rabies as a priority zoonotic disease in 11th five year plan.
Same year guidelines for Rabies prophylaxis with cell culture intradermal vaccine introduced by GOI.
# National planning commission from 2008 to 2011 started the Rabies Control programme as a pilot project in five major cities with aim of zero dog mediated Rabies death.
#In 2012 through 12 the five year plan GOI expand the Rabies Control programme throughout Nation.
#I the year 2015 GOI Nation centre for disease control released the revised guidelines for Rabies prophylaxis.
#As per WHO statistics 2012 Dog mediated Rabies death in India was around 21000 every year.
#After the continuous effort of GOI Dog mediated Rabies death rate reduced to 6644 between 2012 to 2022.
#In the year 2022 Total Dog mediated Rabies human death in India 307.
#This achievement because of the continuous Rabies control programmes of GOI.
#For past one decade Rabies vaccine for Animals and pets available at lowest price with good keeping quality of rabies vaccine at all vital vaccine points.
#As per 2022 statistics 12000 veterinary Hospitals and polyclinic available in all major cities and towns in India.68000 veterinary Dispensaries and sub centres available through out India.63000 Registered veterinary Doctors are in India.This biggest net work of veterinary service enough to cover around 10 million pet dogs and 30 million community dogs in India.which lead to major reduction in Dog mediated Rabies human death in India.
#In India in 2022 there are around 13,08,009 Human Doctors working in India.Around 69,264 Human Hospitals which comprises of 43,486 private Hospitals and 25,778 Government Hospitals available in India in the year 2023.This is one of the biggest health care facilities in the world.
There are around 2,67,283 Local Government bodies in India.Out of which 2,62,834 are rural and 4,449 urban local bodies.
One Health approach create a best collaborative approach and integration of Health,Veterinary and Local administration Government departments to achieve the zero dog mediated rabies human death in India before year 2030.
India’s National Action plan for Dog Mediated Rabies Elimination (NAPRE)by 2030:
As per the WHO One Health Concept GOI launched the NAPRE Programme in the year 2023.Multi sectoral One Health approach implemented at National Level and state Level.
Strategies of the National Rabies Control program:
☆provision of rabies vaccine & rabies immunoglobulin through national free drug initiatives.
☆training on appropriate animal bite management, prevention and control of rabies, surveillance and intersectoral coordination
☆strengthening surveillance of animal bites and rabies deaths reporting
☆creating awareness about rabies prevention
☆The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) has also requested the concerned authorities to take appropriate action and to effectively implement the Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules, 2023 to control the dog population.
☆Ministry of Health & Family Welfare and Ministry of Fisheries Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Government of India jointly launched ‘National Action Plan For Dog Mediated Rabies Elimination (NAPRE) from India by 2030’. The stray dog population control and management of the stray dogs is the mandate of the local bodies.
☆The Central Government has framed the Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules, 2023 which is to be implemented by the local authority to control the population of stray dogs. The main focus of the rules is on anti-rabies vaccination of stray dogs and neutering of stray dogs as means of population stabilization.
In India from 20000 more death in the year 2012 to 307 death in 2022 is a clear indication that Zero Dog mediated Rabies death in Human and Animals before 2030 is not a distance Dream through One Health. Vaccinate to Eliminate Rabies.
References:
National Action Plan for 1.Dog Mediated Rabies Elimination from India by 2030 by Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying.
2.WHO frequently asked questions on Rabies document.
3.Rabies General Aspects and Laboratory Diagnostic Techniques 2022 Document.
National Centre for Disease Control,Directorate General of Health Services World Health Organization Collaborating-Centre for Rabies Epidemiology.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, GOI.
4.THE CLINICAL DIAGNOSIS OF RABIES IN CATTLE by 0. M. Radostits.
