Odisha Marks World Rabies Day: Call for Action to End a Fatal Disease

Odisha Marks World Rabies Day: Call for Action to End a Fatal Disease

Uttar Pradesh has the largest stray dog population, followed by Odisha

CNB World Times

Bhubaneswar, Odisha, 28^th Sept,  2025:

Odisha today joined the global community in observing the 19th World Rabies Day, held every year on 28 September to spread awareness about rabies prevention and control. The theme for 2025, “Act now: you, me, communities”, underlines the urgent need for collective responsibility to eliminate rabies.

Across the state, the Fishery and Animal Resources Development Department organized awareness drives, vaccination camps, and seminars at district and block levels. At the district level, free anti-rabies vaccination was administered to 150 dogs in each of the 30 districts. A seminar on rabies control was also held with 50 participants, including veterinary experts, health officers, urban body officials, NGOs, and civil society members.

At the block level, programs were held in all 314 blocks of Odisha. Block veterinary officers, BDOs, doctors, ICDS officers, teachers, and 50 school children attended each event. The programs highlighted the dangers of rabies and the need for annual vaccination of pets and timely treatment after dog bites.

A special event was held at Panasapada Govt. Project School in Chandbali block of Bhadrak district. Officials including Block Veterinary Officer  Dr. K.M. Nazar, Additional Veterinary Assistant Dr. Satyajit Sahoo, MVU-VAS  Dr. Ipsita Panda and the school headmaster addressed the students and villagers. Dr. K.M. Nazar explained how rabies spreads through the bite or scratch of rabid animals and warned that once symptoms appear, treatment is no longer effective. They urged children to inform parents immediately if bitten by a dog and to seek post-exposure vaccination without delay.

Rabies continues to be a major health challenge in India. Nearly 18,000 people die every year, and 40% of the victims are children. In 2024 alone, India reported 37.17 lakh dog bite cases—an average of more than 10,000 cases per day—with 54 suspected rabies deaths. Uttar Pradesh has the largest stray dog population, followed by Odisha, highlighting the urgent need for stricter control measures.

Experts warn that India’s rising dog bite crisis is a sign of weak stray dog management, poor vaccination coverage, and limited public awareness. While safe vaccines for both humans and animals are available, gaps in delivery continue to cost thousands of lives.

Officials stressed that mass vaccination of dogs, timely post-exposure treatment, and community awareness are the keys to ending rabies. They also called for stronger infrastructure, more veterinarians, and stricter enforcement of rules on stray dog control.

As the world remembers Louis Pasteur, who developed the first rabies vaccine, Odisha’s celebrations carried a clear message: rabies is 100% preventable, but only if society acts together. With India aiming to eliminate rabies deaths by 2030, today’s observance was both a reminder of progress made and a warning of the challenges that remain.