Explained | How does a rabies vaccine work?

Source: The post is based on the article “Explained | How does a rabies vaccine work?” published in The Hindu on 12th September 2022.

What is the News?

The death of a 12-year-old girl in Kerala from rabies despite having multiple inoculations of the vaccine, has raised questions on the efficacy of rabies vaccines in India and their availability.

What is Rabies?

Rabies is caused by a family of viruses called the lyssaviruses and found in a range of mammals. 

The virus targets the central nervous system and is nearly 100% fatal to the host animal if it succeeds in infecting it. 

Though many animals from cats to crocodiles can be transmitters of the virus, it is most likely to spread to people from the bite of an infected dog or a cat as they are the most common pets.

Treatment: Rabies is almost always fatal once clinical signs occur. There is currently no effective treatment for rabies after clinical signs appear. However, the disease is preventable through vaccination either before or immediately after exposure.

Rabies cases in India: WHO says India is endemic for rabies and accounts for 36% of the world’s deaths. 

The true burden of rabies in India is not fully known; although as per available information, it causes 18,000-20,000 deaths every year. 

About 30-60% of reported rabies cases and deaths in India occur in children under the age of 15 years, as bites that occur in children often go unrecognized and unreported.

India’s plan to eliminate Rabies: India has committed to eliminate Rabies by 2030. But for this, vaccination of dogs is also essential.

Keeping this in mind, the Government has released the ‘National Action for Plan — Rabies Elimination’ in 2021. The plan aims to vaccinate at least 70% of all dogs in a defined geographical area annually for three consecutive years. The plan is to identify ‘rabies hotspots’ across the country and target them.