TGLIFE: ‘Mission Rabies' has played a key role in drastically reducing the number of human rabies deaths in Goa in the past three years. What do you attribute this success to?
Dr Gowri Yale: Dogs Trust remain the largest funder of this work to date, giving over Rs 3 crore to the vaccination of dogs and education of children in Goa since 2013. Approximately 20,000 people die of rabies in India every year. The Directorate of Health Services reported 17 human rabies deaths in 2014, 5 in 2015 and one in 2016. Goa has taken a crucial step in the pathway towards eliminating the state of the deadly rabies virus. Through the active partnership between the State government, the NGO ‘Mission Rabies', has vaccinated over 1,68,000 free roaming and owned dogs and educated more than 2 lakh children about rabies.
Since the government began funding the Rabies Free Goa Initiative, enabling not only mass dog vaccination, a rapid rabies response service has been established across the state for the first time. Also, there has been availability of free rabies vaccination and immunoglobulins in Govt hospitals and dispensaries. All these factors have led to a dramatic decline in human deaths from rabies in Goa.
TG: How does one get in touch with ‘Mission Rabies' for a rapid response service?
GY: The Rabies Hotline (7744029586) is a 24/7 service provided for people to report dogs showing signs of rabies-dogs that have bitten people, showing signs of aggression or die suddenly. A call to the hotline goes through to a trained coordinator who will ask questions to understand the nature of the case. If rabies is suspected, a team of skilled catchers and a veterinarian are deployed to the region to investigate and catch the animal. Mission Rabies requests people not to harm or chase the dog due to panic, the team will definitely reach location to help them.
TG: What are other long-term initiatives of ‘Mission Rabies' in Goa?
GY: Mission Rabies recently established a Rabies testing facility in Disease Investigation Unit (DIU), Veterinary Hospital, Tonca, Panjim with the permission and support of Department of Animal Husbandry, Govt of Goa. This laboratory in now equipped to perform ‘Direct Fluorescent Antibody Test' (dFT), the WHO and OIE (WAHO) recommended Gold Standard test for confirmatory detection of rabies virus antigen from brain tissue of a dead animals.
This Rabies testing facility is the first of its kind in Goa and only the 8th in India. The laboratory will facilitate rabies surveillance and help maintain ‘Rabies free' status for Goa once achieved. DIU, Goa now joins this elite group of institutes working towards canine rabies elimination from India.
So from now, brain tissue samples from rabies suspected dogs need not be sent to laboratories outside Goa but can be tested at your very own laboratory in Panjim.
To achieve the goal of rabies elimination in Goa, propelling the state along the path of becoming a global first class tourist destination, this work must be built upon and sustained for years to come.
