State capital sees spurt in awareness on rabies prevention
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state capital has witnessed a substantial increase in awareness on rabies prevention. The findings have come out through a novel initiative by the Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations (FIAPO) and People for Animals (PFA) in association with the state government.
The study was conducted to dispel myths about rabies, reducing human-dog conflict and converting Kerala into a model state for dog-bite and rabies prevention An impact assessment report of a pilot mission helmed by the state government and animal welfare organisations to educate school students on rabies prevention and impart counselling to dog-bite victims was released by Jimmy K Jose, Additional Director of Public Instruction, on Wednesday.
The one-of-its-kind programme launched by FIAPO and PFA, Thiruvananthapuram, in association with the state Education and Health Departments was aimed at dispelling myths surrounding rabies, reducing the human-dog conflict and converting Kerala into a model state for dog-bite and rabies prevention.
“The conflicts arising between dogs and humans have been compounded by our own activities and if there is no respite to this conflict, it could only result in wiping out of either the human race or the dogs.
A mutation of the rabies virus isn’t something that is far-fetched. In the light of this, it is important man-dog conflicts be brought down to ensure a balance in the society and thereby ensure the comfortable existence of both the species,” said Jimmy while releasing the report.
“The bond between man and dogs dates back to over thousands of years. There are no stray dogs, they are just abandoned dogs,” he said. He also underscored the need for monitoring the Animal Birth Control Programme (ABC) programme.
The twin programme was held as part of the ‘Rabies Free India Campaign’ of FIAPO to empower children in dealing with street dogs and thereby foster a community which is tolerant towards animals. As of now, awareness sessions have been conducted in as many as 25 government schools.
Meanwhile, the counselling sessions revolved around imparting a comprehensive knowledge about rabies to dog-bite victims arriving at the General Hospital and helping them manage the stress post the trauma of getting bitten.
Prince Mathew, Education Coordinator, FIAPO, who conducted these sessions in the schools and provided counselling, said the mission has been highly successful in dispelling myths associated with rabies.
“The response has been highly encouraging. After the sessions, there is a dramatic change in the attitude of the students. Our aim is to cover 1,000 schools by April 2018,” he said.
Imparting knowledge about post-bite medical options is paramount if we have to address this issue. Moreover, providing counselling to dog-bite victims helps deal with the post-bite stress and demystify the rabies conundrum, he said.
Latha Indira, PFA, Thiruvananthapuram, said the success of the pilot project reiterates the need to expand the programme across the state and aided schools also need to be included in the ambit of the programme. This unique model can be adopted by other state governments as well, she said.
Counselling sessions: For the past few months, a one-of-a-kind experiment is being conducted in the precincts of General Hospital where the footfalls of the dog-bite victims are going up at an unending pace. The counselling sessions were conducted on two days per week over the past few months in the Intra-Dermal Rabies Vaccination (IDRV) clinic at the General Hospital. The pilot mission is to help the patients tide over the trauma associated with dog bites and provide them with necessary counselling.
Education Programme
The sessions are conducted for Class XI and Class XII students while Class IX and Class X students are targeted in high schools. The sessions held during school hours are conducted using multimedia presentations and stretches for over an hour. The following months will see an expansion of the programme wherein more animal rights activists will be given training and inducted into the team to take classes
Recommendations
- Mass vaccination of street dogs against rabies
- State-level education programmes for school children
- State-level counselling programmes for dog-bite victims
- State-run and monitored Animal Birth Control
Key Findings
- There has been a 50 per cent increase in awareness about rabies prevention after the education sessions
- A significant 100 per cent increase on how to behave around dogs, thereby ensuring the safety of children around street dogs
- Quarter-fold increase in the patients’ awareness about rabies and how it is spread.
- A 100 per cent improvement regarding awareness about ABC and its importance