NEW DELHI: Nearly 60,000 people die of rabies globally every year. One-third of these deaths happen in India. This, despite the fact that each of these deaths is preventable if the animal bite is treated properly, and on time.
According to a recent survey conducted by researchers at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences, the facilities available in most anti-rabies clinics in India are not at all adequate. The survey, which assesses the quality of treatment provided to people bitten by dogs, monkeys and other animals, also reveals that there is an acute shortage of anti-rabies vaccines (ARVs) in India.
Dogs cause the highest number human rabies deaths (97%), followed by cats (2%). In case of a dog bite, patients need to be treated with rabies immunoglobulin at the wound site, followed by multiple shots of anti-rabies vaccine.
The WHO-supported survey titled ‘Facilities and Services of Post-exposure Prophylaxis in Anti-rabies Clinics: A National Assessment in India’, found ARVs were out of stock in 20% of the clinics. The report also flags that local wound infiltration of immunoglobulin was found to be in practice at less than 60% facilities.
“The shortage is due to the fact that a major manufacturer with its production unit in Gujarat, Chiron Behring, had been dormant for quite some time,” an official with the Union heath ministry said. “In meetings held in September and October, the Centre asked four other major manufacturers of the vaccine to scale up,” the official added.
Krishna Ella, managing director of Bharat Biotech, a Hyderabad-based vaccine maker, said the unit has now been made operational. “We have also optimised our production.” M K Sudarshan, one of the authors of the study cited above, is not that optimistic. He warned that given the scenario, it could still take nearly 6-12 months to fulfil the ARV demand.
Why the shortage?
While India needs 20 million doses of the vaccine annually, production has halved over the past four years. A significant percentage of the vaccine is also exported